Athletes and Moral Terpitude Proposal

THESIS:  Today’s athletes get paid millions of dollars, performing at the highest competition level for their sport, to entertain fans everywhere…not to serve as a role model.

BACKGROUND:  If it seems like professional athletes are more likely to engage in criminal or violent behavior than your average person, it’s because each instance becomes headline news. Those that we put on pedestals for their athletic ability on the field, we hold to a much higher standard off of the field. These athletes are hired to do a job and when they are not at work, they should have a right to privacy and be given the same consideration of their personal life as anyone else. Athletes should be admired for their accomplishments, records, and statistics on the field or court, while their private, personal life should remain just that…private.

OBJECTIVE: Over the last 6 months the subject of domestic violence among NFL players has brought this subject into the mainstream. There are many scholarly journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles, and legal cases from recent years. Analyzing the NFL’s updated Player Conduct Policy will provide the standing taken by the league.

SUPPORTING POINTS:
1.  The 24 hour a day media (i.e. CNN, TMZ, ESPN) leads with story of player arrest or scandal whereas reporting a record broken or major achievement is buried with the sports news at the end of broadcast.
        a) Michael Vick: forever tied to illegal dog fighting regardless of how many public service announcements filmed, SPCA speeches made, and contributions for animal rights organizations paid.
        b) OJ Simpson: Hall of Famer or Murderer
        c) Pete Rose: known for gambling rather than career achievements – blackballed from Hall of Fame
2. The NFL’s Player Conduct Policy (PCP)
        a) The NFL commissioner plays judge, jury and executioner
        b) Ben Roethlisberger suspension based on accusations but no criminal charges filed
        c) Ray Rice domestic violence fiasco
3. We look up to athletes as though they are superhuman, then make villains of them when they prove to be mere humans.
        a) Michael Phelps wins 8 Olympic gold medals for swimming but photos of him smoking marijuana make headlines.
        b) Wilt Chamberlain scored a record 100 points in one NBA game but better known statistic is the 20,000 women he claimed to have had sex with.
        c) Tiger Woods: wins vs. mistresses

COUNTER-ARGUMENTS:
1. Children admire famous athletes second only to their parents.
2. Athletes motivate children to be physically active.
3. Professional athletes work hard, show determination and commitment, focus on teamwork and they never give up.

RESPONSE TO COUNTER-ARGUMENTS:
1. 24% of children surveyed said it isn’t necessary to study hard and finish school if you are successful at sports.
2.  One in five teens surveyed said kids learn from professional athletes that you “don’t have to worry about the consequences of sex,”
3. 16 percent said kids learn it’s OK to use alcohol and drugs.