Plaxico Burress and Ron Artest just got some new company atop the sports world’s most wanted list. An unsuspecting troublemaker had one of the worst (and most costly) outbursts in tennis history a little over a week ago, emphatically re-raising the question of, "Should high-profile athletes be held to a higher standard of conduct than the general public?"
Serena Williams had been rolling through opponents, making a strong case for her own claim of being the best woman tennis player in the world when the incident happened. Her opponent, new mother and recent returnee from retirement, Kim Clijsters from Belgium, was two points from taking down the outspoken Williams in the semifinals of the U.S. Open.
On a second serve, Williams was called for a foot-fault by the lineswoman, giving Clijsters two match points. Rather than saddling up and buckling down, Williams proceeded to berate and intimidate the lineswoman for doing her job. After littering the court in front of millions of international viewers with F-bombs and threatening to shove the ball down the lineswoman’s throat, she was awarded a point penalty on match point, giving the match to Clijsters.
Now, this article is not about how much of a sinner Serena Williams is or even how unethical and inexcusable it is to act in such a way; it is really about what it means for athletes as a whole. For old times sake, here is a brief trip down memory lane from the past several months:
Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was sentenced to two years in prison after shooting himself in the leg in a Manhattan nigh club last November.
Louisville University basketball coach Rick Pitino admitted to having out-of-wedlock sexual relations and paid for an abortion.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of assaulting a woman in a Las Vegas hotel.
Michael Vick was released from prison after serving his sentence for dog fighting.
Now, you may be thinking these are all common (or at least not terribly unusual) things to happen in society; they are just magnified because of the limelight shed on these public figures. However, by thinking so you are proving the inverse point; these types of actions are unacceptable on such a stage because of the bright light shed on such issues. Here is a glance at the happy side of athletics
Josh Hamilton proclaimed his Christian faith during an interview during this year’s MLB All-Star Weekend.
That is about it.
The point is not that all athletes are terrible people, and the fact that the media certainly places emphasis on the bad things public figures do rather than the positive ones is one that must fairly be taken into account, but still it is not enough. It is about time high profile athletes face the facts and accept the responsibility of being a role model for people everywhere.
If they cannot figure it out for themselves, whose responsibility is it to make sure some of the hooligans in the public eye act as they should? Glancing at the list above, it is no longer about expecting athletes to act as role models; the expectation level has dropped to simple civility (come on Serena).
When public figures, whether athletes, actors or government officials, get out of line, it is a negative reflection of their industry as a whole. Since it seems to be too much to ask for some of the large population of high- profile athletes to handle themselves reasonably, it is time for some punishment, correct?
Williams was fined $10,500 for her actions during the U.S. Open; that is one less handbag for this diva fashionista. The tournament directors really wimped out on this one by giving her less than a slap on the hand, especially considering she took over $550,000 home from her participation in the tournament.
At the end of the day, it is obvious that yes, high-profile athletes must be held to a higher standard of conduct.
So, one of two things need to happen; athletes miraculously start exercising morals and ethics, or the powers that be pick up a sports world Big Stick and start making these athletes pay (literally) for their inexcusable actions.
Contact Colin Zalewski at editor@whitworthian.com.
Sports Talk: Calling professional athletes: Grow up!
Published: Monday, September 21, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 12:09
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