Professional Sports Punis Essay, Research Paper

Due to the greediness of sports figures, professional athletes are not

punished in the same manner as other professionals are. It is like they

are in a completely different group that uses an entirely different set of

morals. Team owners care more about making their money than they do about

setting a good example for young kids and making pro sports fun again

rather than a business. Three good examples of this greediness are

Roberto Alomar, Warren Sapp, and Dennis Rodman. Team owners and their

respective leagues need to do something to turn this situation around

before they have murderers and rapists playing sports for millions of

dollars a year.

Roberto Alomar makes 5.5 million dollars a year due to his five Gold

Gloves. He is one of majors? best all-around players and destined for the

Hall of Fame. In a 1996 divisional playoff game, Alomar was up to bat.

Umpire John Hirschbeck called Alomar out on strikes. Alomar went back to

the dugout where he started to argue the call with Hirschbeck. The umpire

finally tossed Alomar. Orioles manager Davey Johnson along with Alomar

went racing to home plate to argue the ejection. As Alomar was being

pushed away by Johnson, he spit at Hirschbeck. Alomar was suspended for

five games which was to be served at the beginning of the 1997 season, so

he could continue to play in the playoffs. In my opinion, this act was

indefensible and warranted a stiffer penalty than a five-game suspension.

Major league umpires threatened to strike during the playoffs due to

Alomar?s behavior and inadequate punishment. I believe that the league

did not suspend Alomar during the playoffs because he is such a high

profile player that he brings in enough money for the league that

officials felt they could justify their actions.

Warren Sapp was one of the best defensive players in the 1995 NFL Draft.

Sapp had tested positive for drugs, mainly marijuana, seven times while

playing college football at Miami, including once for cocaine (Wolff 49).

In the beginning Sapp called the reports, ?a total fabrication,? but later

changed his story and said he did flunk one drug test at Miami (Wolff 49).

Even after this admission of guilt, the NFL, still wanting to allow him to

play so he could make them money, tried to brighten his image by saying

that Sapp did not test positive for cocaine, oddly omitting any mention of

marijuana (Price 48). In any other workplace, someone who had tested

positive for drugs that many times would not be hired.

Dennis Rodman, the National Basketball Association?s bad boy, is

notorious for getting in trouble. In a January 15, 1997, game, Rodman

lost his balance after going for a rebound. He fell into a row of

photographers where he kicked Eugene Amos in the groin. Amos, who doubled

over in pain, was removed on a stretcher and taken to a Minneapolis

hospital. Rodman only received an eleven-game suspension, was fined

$25,000 by the league, and ordered to get counseling (Rodman?s 22).

Compared with 6.3 million he is paid a year for playing basketball that

fine is just a drop in the bucket (Micheals 12). That fine is less than

one percent of his annual salary. Someone who makes $30,000 a year would

be fined more for littering. Attorney Fred Wiesman compared Rodman?s

behavior to that of Major League Baseball player, Albert Belle, when he

said, ?It?s the same bullying, arrogant, obnoxious behavior. This is not

the way reasonable people should conduct themselves? (?Rodman?s? 22).

All of the situations mentioned prove one point. Professional sports are

corrupted and need to have a serious facelift when it comes to punishment.

Roberto Alomar should have at least been suspended immediately rather than

the owners allowing him to continue playing, lessening the severity of his

actions. Warren Sapp would make a better role model for children if he

made anti-drug posters, instead the NFL feels it is fine to allow a known

and admitted drug-user to play football and make it seem to children that

even if you do use drugs you can still make millions of dollars a year.

Not in the real world. Lastly Dennis Rodman should be the reason the NBA

does not allow violent people into their league. In my opinion Dennis

Rodman does not do anything but degrade professional basketball and

himself with his actions. If something is not done soon, professional

athletics will crumble due to lack of support and former team owners will

have to turn to illegal activities like some of their players to make

money.