Integrity In Sports

[D-TownRadio]

Is there any room for integrity in sports?

Okay for the past few years I have seen one sports hero after another fall. Because of everything from drugs and guns to cameras and dog fights, to be completely honest I can’t stand it anymore. I sat last weekend and watched my son playing in his flag football game and I remembered what it was like to play this game as kid. I remember how pure it was the only type of filming that was going on was by the parents who where just happy to see their kid on the field. I actually began to tear up thinking that if my son does fall in love with this sport how far will he take it? Will he completely abandon everything I have taught him over the years? When he enters the world of sports will he be required to check his morals at the door? What will he have to do in order to compete? And where does it end? I remember taking him to his first baseball game and him looking up at me with such amazement in eyes and as Chase Utley stepped up to bat and I told him that he is my favorite player. He asked me how many home runs he had. I told him that sometimes in life the guy with thirty homeruns is better then the guy with one hundred and he looked at me like I was crazy. It broke my heart to think that my son that I have done everything in my power to teach the right things to is slowly starting to forget about what is right. Where are we? How far have we sunk when we are actually having a conversation about legalizing these types of things? I think that every pro sports player should go to a little league game be it baseball football any sport. Just sit and watch how pure it is how much these kids just love to play. Look into the kids’ eyes when he hits a line drive, watch how his smile grows as he sees the end zone in view while he runs with the football in his hands. I swear it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It’s not about the stats, money or respect it is just about the love. Now I ask you who are the greatest of all time. I would have to say Emmitt Smith, Brett Favre and Jerry Rice. They never lost the love, the look never faded from their eyes; they are still in love with the sport. They did it with no edge and did it for the love of the sport. These players are pure and I don’t think we will ever see that again not in my life time anyway. So when you put a player up on a pedestal ask yourself if it is someone you would want as a role model. I for one don’t want my son looking up to Brady or Bellichick. Anyway here is to hoping for some real role models in a day and age that integrity, morals and class has no place in the world of sports.

Shaun-

 

[Doomsday101]

Is there any room for integrity in sports?

Okay for the past few years I have seen one sports hero after another fall. Because of everything from drugs and guns to cameras and dog fights, to be completely honest I can’t stand it anymore. I sat last weekend and watched my son playing in his flag football game and I remembered what it was like to play this game as kid. I remember how pure it was the only type of filming that was going on was by the parents who where just happy to see their kid on the field. I actually began to tear up thinking that if my son does fall in love with this sport how far will he take it? Will he completely abandon everything I have taught him over the years? When he enters the world of sports will he be required to check his morals at the door? What will he have to do in order to compete? And where does it end? I remember taking him to his first baseball game and him looking up at me with such amazement in eyes and as Chase Utley stepped up to bat and I told him that he is my favorite player. He asked me how many home runs he had. I told him that sometimes in life the guy with thirty homeruns is better then the guy with one hundred and he looked at me like I was crazy. It broke my heart to think that my son that I have done everything in my power to teach the right things to is slowly starting to forget about what is right. Where are we? How far have we sunk when we are actually having a conversation about legalizing these types of things? I think that every pro sports player should go to a little league game be it baseball football any sport. Just sit and watch how pure it is how much these kids just love to play. Look into the kids’ eyes when he hits a line drive, watch how his smile grows as he sees the end zone in view while he runs with the football in his hands. I swear it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It’s not about the stats, money or respect it is just about the love. Now I ask you who are the greatest of all time. I would have to say Emmitt Smith, Brett Favre and Jerry Rice. They never lost the love, the look never faded from their eyes; they are still in love with the sport. They did it with no edge and did it for the love of the sport. These players are pure and I don’t think we will ever see that again not in my life time anyway. So when you put a player up on a pedestal ask yourself if it is someone you would want as a role model. I for one don’t want my son looking up to Brady or Bellichick. Anyway here is to hoping for some real role models in a day and age that integrity, morals and class has no place in the world of sports.

Shaun-

I think you need to look at the integity of the individual athlete. Some of these guys in pro sports are class acts they just get lumped in with the idiots who give a bad name. One guy on the Cowboys team who has really impressed me with his play and actions on and off the field has been Jason Witten I would say he has just as much class as the players you mentioned and I don't think Jason is the only one in the NFL that young people can look up to.