Ungrateful Souls

Professional athletes are some of the most well-known characters in the world. Names like Manning, Jordan, Palmer, and Jeter are familiar to almost anyone, not only sports fans. Other than their extraordinary talents, these athletes get paid millions of dollars to play a game. Often times they use this money to live lives of luxury and class, as well as giving back to their communities and helping those in need. Some, like Chad Ochocinco, spend 6 months and undisclosed amounts of cash to build their dream vehicle. Most of us can only dream about what a life like that would be and often can envy what they have and what we do not have or scof at how wasteful and thankless these figures appear to be sometimes. What strikes me most though, is how incredibly reckless and dangerous these members of society can be. A little less then a month ago, an NBA star by the name of Gilbert Arenas pulled out a gun in his team's locker room, as a joke apparently, and is now facing a felony charge for not having a license. He has since pleaded guilty and entered a plea bargain, but will most likely not be sentenced for another two months. These kinds of stories infuriate most when it comes to professional athletes. I guess we should all be used to this kind of behavior by now, but I just expected these citizens to hold themselves to a higher standard. Once great talents are now known for activities out of the sports arena rather than in. Men such as Vick, Burress, Harrison, Jayson Williams, and now Arenas have tainted their careers and names by being either convicted or related to criminal acts. Everyone on that list except Vick has been involved in some story involving gun violence. While Harrison has not be charged or convicted, he is still being investigated. It makes no sense to me why these superstars feel the need to carry guns with them where they travel. If you feel like you are in danger then maybe you should go to someone who can help you, rather then buying something that can get you thrown in prison. And further, don't put yourself in a situation that would result in you having to use a firearm. They have all the advantages in the world and still resort back to these activities. I know it is hare to break habits or be torn away from your roots, but there are times when you can say, "hey, i'm in a better place now and would rather not screw it up." Usually people who have these issues pull themselves out of that situation rather than being on top and then digressing backwards. My point is that these athletes have an obligation to take some responsibility for their lives and maybe create a new view of professional athletes. There are many out there who do keep their nose clean and contribute much of their time and money to help others, but eventually they get overshadowed by the ones who do something stupid. Also, this rule just doesn't apply to those who break the law, but for those who set a poor example to those kids who look up to them as role-models. People like Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Barry Bonds, and others have been in the news for things not necessarily illegal, but not what those people in that position should do. I doubt that these issues will ever stop, but it would be so nice if that were the case. Children deserve to have heroes and dreams that aren't wrecked by infidelity scandals and dog fighting charges. So please, shape up.