Lost in Translation

Police blotter has taken over the sports page as of late. Gilbert Arenas, University of Tennessee basketball players, and even the mythical Tiger Woods have found themselves to be in hot water in recent weeks. The altercations shed light upon the idea of athletic stars being out of touch with society at large.

The lives of modern athletes are vastly different than the lives of most Americans. Those lives develop within a sports culture that is revered when championships are bestowed upon a city, and reviled when athletes are found with illegal weapons, drugs, and the like. The problem with athletes today, however, has as much to do with the gladiators themselves as it does with a society that treats them with kid gloves from an early age.

There are few things in life over which individuals have absolute control. The power to make the right decisions is one of said things. In order for sports to continue to have deep meaning for fans across the globe, a dramatic culture shift must take place.

Former Bengals receiver Chris Henry may have met a tragic ending, but his transformation in recent months shows us that superstars can be steered in the right direction with discipline and respect.

Since emerging as an NFL prospect during his freshman season at West Virginia in 2003, Chris Henry was plagued by problems with the law. The Bengals released him in April of 2008 after his sixth arrest in just less than two years with the team. Few professions allow for such transgressions to go without immediate termination (rockstars perhaps?). It was at point that many NFL veterans, including Michael Irvin reached out to Henry.

Henry responded by dropping many of the hangers-on that had disastrous effects on his decision-making. When the charges against Henry were dropped in August 2008 he was promptly re-signed by the Bengals, who used team resources and manpower to nurse Henry’s life and financial status to a productive point.

Athletes surely shoulder the largest responsibility for any major change in the world of sports. Parents, teachers, coaches, and fans must also bear the burden of responsibility. Athletes need to learn at a young age that they will always be held to the same standards of conduct and basic decency as everyone else. That said, players are afforded the same right to due process, and they shouldn’t be stripped over that right due to celebrity status.