Some people are simply more forgiving than others. Such a quality shows how truly wonderful some individuals really are.
Leodis McKelvin, the Buffalo Bills cornerback whose kickoff return fumble cost his team a chance at beating the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football is one such person.
As if McKelvin’s battering across local and national media outlets wasn’t enough, he arrived home late Monday evening to find that his front lawn had been vandalized. Some true and blue teenage Buffalo fans voiced their displeasure by taking white paint to the cornerback’s lawn, not only immortalizing the score, but also a symbol that is synonymous with a certain four letter word that rhymes with tuck.
Major life mistakes, car accidents, petty lies, and even some monumental fibs (think Bill Clinton circa 1996) are forgivable. Moronic behavior in the name of sports, however, is anything but forgivable. McKelvin has said publicly that he didn’t take the vandalism to heart, and he just hopes it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
For that reason, McKelvin is a better man than I. Criminal charges need to be brought against the two young offenders, preferably something along the lines of a thousand hours of community service.
Sports have the power to do amazing things. They can bring people of different backgrounds together, take people’s minds off of their problems, and bring smiles to people in dire life situations.
Sports also bring out the worst in people. It’s not like painting someone’s lawn is that awful of an act, it’s not, but it’s another example of people using the context of sports to do something that is otherwise socially reprehensible. People need to understand that the emotional connection they have to sports isn’t an excuse to misbehave.
A message can be sent here, and even if McKelvin doesn’t want to be the send it, someone has to.
I'm in no position to pass judgement on people losing their values in the heated moments following a loss (Florida 2000, Any loss at the hands of Bama pre-2007 come readily to mind). I've committed some rude and raucous acts being blinded by my passion for the Orange.
ReplyDeleteThat said I grew up. I no longer let losses affect me. I get invest so much energy and time in being a fan, I get so much enjoyment from it, I will no longer let a loss affect me. I enjoy the wins and I'll bitch about the defeats, but I'm not upset by them anymore. It's just part of the game, the wins AND the losses.
If McKelvin wants to forgive them, it's his prerogative. I think it's big of him. I think we should use this incident not to punish, but to teach. To show our friends and our children that sports can bring out the worst in people. We all have to learn from this so that the next time we taste defeat, we can do it with the dignity and poise of Leodis McKelvin.