Do we care about integrity sports?

[StanleySpadowski]

If you want to see what lack of integrity can do to a sport, look no further than the train wreck that's become of this year's Tour de Cheeseeatingsurrendermonkeys.

It's hard to tell what the heck's going on. People getting nailed for grade school level doping when hundreds of thousands of dollars are on the line. Either they're rank amatuers when it comes to cheating or something funny's going on with the lab that the tour keeps using for some reason.

Professional cycling may never recover.

 

[DWhite Fan]

League's that have "crumbled", to whatever extent we deem them crumbled...have we seen one crumble because of the character of the men playing them?

People stop watching certain sports because of things like strikes, inferior competition and play, and sometimes eventually come back. But I've never heard player conduct mentioned as a reason for a league failing.

The NBA had strikes, and the quality of play was so bad and unexciting through the late 90s and early 00s that people inevitably stopped caring all that much - plus there's alot else to watch other than an interminable 82 game season.

The NHL was prosperous, then they took that idiotic cable TV deal back in the day (after the olympics, when they had a golden opportunity), and it faltered before fading altogether during their recent strike.

Baseball was in an enormous lull after the strike, but rebounded with the home run chase. It's steady now, but people are starting to get chafed by Barry Bonds and the steroid controversy - but even that isn't to the extent that strikes affect these leagues.

So it seems to me, since bad behavior in the public eye has been around as long as sports - that personal conduct that doesn't deal with the game played on the field has very little to do with a sport's popularity. It might scare off some advertising dollars from companies that care about such things, but it rarely impacts viewership - or so it seems. Labor strikes seem to be the biggest potential problem facing sports. Player conduct looks to be way down the list. Because deep down, despite all our righteous indignation and moral outrage - I'm pretty sure we don't give a **** what they do on their own time.

The only time I give a crap about what a football player does on his own time is when that activity has a bearing on his being able to play come Sunday. I pay my hard earned money to buy team gear, game tickets, and the NFL Sunday Ticket. The fans allows the players to have a stage to perform on. I think the players should respect that. If a player's conduct has a negative effect on my team or the NFL, it is a concern for me. I don't know about everyone else, but I love NFL football, especially watching my Cowboys kick butt!!!!!!!!

 

[deadrody]

Personally, I think a good portion of the 60% who voted "YES" are full of crap. Either you don't currently watch the sport, or are justifying your vote based on WHO you won't watch. Is there really someone on this board who honestly thinks that if the NFL lets Mike Vick off easy, that they will stop watching the NFL altogether ? I call BS on that.

Same for Bonds and steroids, and the NBA and it's game throwing ref. Either you aren't watching either the NBA or MLB anyhow, or you aren't watching Bonds. I know I think Bonds sucks, he shouldn't get credit for the record, and unless I'm already watching ESPN or FOX and they cut over to a Bonds AB, I could not care less when or if he breaks the record. But I'm not a Giants fan. I will most definitely watch MY team and my enjoyment of their play will be 100% unaffected by Bonds and his BS steroid induced record and by MLB's BS response to it.

I don't watch much of the NBA, but my viewing habits will not be affected at all. I will occasionally watch the team I follow and watch alums of my favorite college team and that will not be affected at all by this scandal or the NBA's response to it.

Maybe it's just because I see sports as entertainment. Some people seem to be far, FAR too caught up in sports.

PS - after reading this thread I am more convinced. We have 5 pages on this topic and really only 3 people willing to say they would or have stopped watching because of integrity issues. Yet more than half the votes are for yes. Who are these people and why do they think it makes them a better person to demonstrate their moral bona fides on an internet poll ?