Wednesday, July 18, 2007
What is wrong with America – the Michael Vick case
I am a self-described sports fan, who listens to ESPN radio on a regular basis. I am sometimes asked by people whether, as a theologian and a Christian, I should dedicate so much of my brain to useless topics like who was the starting noseguard for the Denver Broncos in the last super bowl they lost (Greg Kragen) or who hit the game-winning walk-off homerun in the 7th game of the 1960 World Series (Bill Mazerowski).
While they have a point perhaps on the general element of wasting too much time and energy on sports – which is after all a diversion – part of the reason I do pay so much attention is that sports is often the safer place where the struggles of America are played out – where our best is seen (Cal Ripken and Jackie Robinson) and our worst is seen (the fall of boxing in America ending with Mike Tyson trying to eat Evander Holyfield). Which brings us to Michael Vick.
As you may know Vick, the talented quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, was indicted yesterday on charges relating to dog fighting operations. Now, lets be clear, anytime your name is connected to “dog fighting” it cannot be a good day. There is clearly enough evidence to lead to a federal indictment, but as the old saying goes, you can get a grand jury to bring an indictment against a ham sandwich. I do think it is a bad world where people see fit to engage in “dog fighting,” where people make money off of it, and worse, where others actually find it enjoyable. Society is often only one generation away from a return to the gladiator days of old.
But that is not what I find primarily “wrong with America.” Of far greater concern is that the ESPNs of the world have already convicted the man and are talking about cases where PETA (who have all the moral authority of a skunk at a perfume convention) and the Human Society picket out front of NFL games and tell Arthur Blank, the owner of the Falcons, that if he doesn’t suspend Vick they will call on all sponsors to drop the Falcons and the NFL.
Now, I am one who loves animals – I’m a vegetarian for goodness sake. If Vick is guilty he should go to jail for the appropriate time. But the key word there is “if.” As valuable as I find animals, I do not think they are more valuable than a man’s livelihood, his freedom, and his good name. With the ESPN rush to judgment, practically encouraging the PETAs of the world to call for a pre-trial conviction of Vick by his endorsement signors and of NFL sponsors, is this good? Did we not just go through this is Duke with the rape case of the lacrosse players? You say, yes, but it is clear Vick is guilty. Really? So we don’t need a trial? If we do need a trial, then perhaps you should withhold condemning a man in the court of public opinion before he has the chance to present his evidence. I remember in the days after the Duke case one person on ESPN saying, “Look, the DA would not pursue this unless he had a dead set case against these boys. They must be guilty.”
You say, well the presumption of innocence is true only in court, not in public opinion. But isn’t that part of the problem? We convict before we have facts, and then once convicted, the person can never get back their good name. So why do it? You know why – because we live in a 24 hour news cycle, crisis and scandal driven culture that find the word “patience” as foreign as “chastity.” If Vick is guilty of the crime, then we have the rest of eternity to point out what a rotten person he is and bemoan how stupid he is to throw away a great career and an easy life. Hey, I will join in then.
But if he is innocent, and we hold our tongues and our opinions until all the facts are in…well, then his reputation and ours is intact. Our society knows that truth wins out over innuendo. We our better because we have given to those the justice and goodness they deserve and as we would like were we in the same situation (hey, that would make a great rule, it would be golden even).
So do yourself and our society a favour. If your favourite sports talk show goes into the Vick affair and starts talking like they know he is guilty – change the channel. If your friend starts to do the same, say, “Let us wait to discuss this til the case is tried and we know the facts.”
Change begins by basic acts of doing right and not throwing your support behind those who do wron
