ESPN's Race War

All too often, the world of sports and world of politics converge. I was hoping to avoid too much of that with this blog, but it looks like that's exactly right where I have to start. These days, if you're talking about both, usually you're talking about forms of racism. Again, unfortunately, that's exactly where we are.

Tuesday night, ESPN held a 'public' forum for the 'Michael Vick divide,' a contrived excuse to keep the subject relative and ratings high. There was a range of panelists there, including former Vick teammates Chuck Smith and Terrance Mathis, AJC columnist Terrance Moore, radio host Neal Boortz, and a couple other people. The whole event was hosted by Mr. ESPN Emmy himself, Bob Ley. I would have found more relevance in the special had it aired a month ago, and if they actually had some people in attendance that weren't completely ignorant.

It wasn't a public forum, it was by invitation. One blog respondant on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website responded that he thought he was there for the pure fact he was white (paraphrased). There was a fair share of ostentatious attendees proudly wearing Vick jerseys, and alternatively cheering or jeering when any facts or opinion was presented on Vick, or what he did. The panel I thought did a nice job, but the people in attendance were a joke.

During the entire show, there was a very vocal part of the crowd, inappropriate at best, that cheered anytime someone said that Vick deserved a second chance. As someone who has benefited from second chances in a few areas of my life, I can appreciate that view. Short of murder, I feel most people deserve second chances. However, when making this arguement, you need to have some sense of respect, or acknowledgement of what you or someone else did wrong. A majority of the audience could not grasp this simple concept.

It was so bad, at the end, an online poster asked a question which was asked to the audience. The question asked how many people in the audience didn't even think Vick did anything wrong, based on their actions during the entire broadcast. The response was disappointing, at best. The response to the 'No' part of the question was very telling: a large portion of the audience did not understand why Vick was being punished, or alternatively, that what Vick did was wrong and we shouldn't be doing it either.

As someone who has studied Political Science, and was interested in the field as a career, I understand the need for debate. As reasonable people, we should all be able to participate in a reasonable debate. However, there exists the need to be reasonable. It shouldn't have to be said, that as human beings with the ability to wield dominance over lesser creatures, we have the ability - neigh, the responsibility, to use our superior intellect for the advantage of all creatures. Yes, we are omnivores, we kill animals for food. We also kill animals for clothing, we have done both since we learned how to fashion and use tools. Do we gain either from fighting pit bulls? Of course not. That in and of itself invalidates the arguement I've heard way too often that fighting dogs isn't any worse than hunting for deer, etc. One of these benefits us in tangible ways - food, materials for clothing, etc. The other does not, and I hope that if you've been able to get this far in the world (able to surf the internet, find this post), you grasp which one is which.

There has also been an arguement that Vick shouldn't be responsible because it was a part of his upbringing, and it's a part of the black culture. So? Part of being an intelligent human being is the ability to make our own choices and decisions. Vick did both by fighting dogs, and is now being held responsible. That's how it works. You can make the arguement that it shouldn't be illegal, and you know what? I support that discussion. Discuss, lets examine the laws and see if the punishment is just, or if a law should even be enforceable. But - and this is a huge but - until said law is repealed, every one of us is reponsible for following that law, and it is up to the law enforcement sections of our government to enforce those laws. Don't blame anyone else for not being able to follow a law.

White people in Atlanta didn't want Vick indicted or kicked off the team because he is black. He wasn't getting the job done. Since Vick was drafted, the Falcons have made the playoffs twice. They have not changed the franchise streak of having back-to-back winning seasons. During the 2001 season, fans cheered when then-starting QB Chris Chandler suffered an apparent injury, believing that Vick would then enter the game. These are the same fans that were in attendance Tuesday night, and they are as disrespectful and ignorant as they were six years ago.

Oh, Vick did have a winning record as a starting QB, but in the NFL you are judged on postseason success. Need proof? Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb would be prime examples. Peyton was supposedly 'vindicated' by his Super Bowl XLI win, and McNabb has taken constant criticism in Philadeplhia for the lack of a title. Wins and losses in the regular season get you to postseason glory, but if you don't bring that glory back with you on a plane, along with some hardware, then it was all for naught. The 1991-2004 Atlanta Braves exemplify this more than any other team in history. A run of 13 straight division titles is always accompanied by the one WS asterisk.

Back on point, Vick wasn't an elite QB in the NFL. He was an incredible athlete, with a skill set that we may never see again outside of Vince Young. He was lightning-quick, with a rocket for an arm, and the ability to escape seemingly impossible situations. Unfortunately, this is not what you need as a starting quarterback. The ability to see lanes, to make the tough throws, and to not stare down receivers are all qualities that you need, and Vick did not show these traits. At the first sign of difficulty in the pocket, Vick escaped it. While he was successful a lot of the time, the work that went into these routes was wasted. At some point with Vick, you have to wonder if the Offensive Coordinator just told Vick to tell his receivers to go ten yards and get open. With Harrington or Leftwich, while not possessing the natural talents that Vick does, they aren't as likely to run for yards at the first sign of trouble. While this is not exciting, it is more likely to produce results. This is why Vince Young looks so promising - he has the speed and agility to escape those situations, but he's more likely to stay around the pocket and get the ball to his receiver. Of course, Vince Young is also tall enough to see the passing lanes.

This isn't a racism issue, but ESPN and the people in that audience seem to want to make it one. Should Vick get a second chance once time is served? I say yes. Should Vick come back to this franchise for a second chance? Absolutely not. He's not the person to lead this franchise to a title. He didn't show that while he was here, and I can't believe that would be improved upon after a stint in jail. The best thing for him to do would be to concentrate on his receiving skills. It isn't because I think someone who isn't white shouldn't be a quarterback. I would hope my support for Kordell Stewart, Vince Young, DJ Shockley and Warren Moon would assuage that, but I know it won't. All I want from my quarterback is a good head on their shoulders, and the ability to get the ball to the receivers while leading the team both on and off the field. Of all these things, Vick has failed.

The Falcons are probably going to go 4-12 or 5-11, with a good shot at getting the first pick in April's draft. Brian Brohm is coming Atlanta, don't hate on him because he is white.