Opinion: Football players acting badly
It seems almost every time I sit in front of an empty screen, “I don’t get it,” pops in my head. This time it is the National Football League players. These overgrown, pampered football players earn megabucks. Recently, one player, after a night of partying and drinking himself blind, somehow thought he could still operate a motor vehicle. He is facing driving under the influence charges because of the accident that occurred.
According to xnewsnet.com, the player’s legal team told the Associated Press that the accident was still under investigation and asked, “everyone to withhold judgement until all the facts have been gathered.”
That is fair. Innocent until proven guilty, right? But, to quote another cliche: “where there is smoke…”
How difficult would it have been to arrange for a designated driver before the evening’s festivities?
I spoke with a former NFL player and learned some inside information that was terrifying. Their lack of respect and basic decency made it appear to me that many of them should be kept in cages and only let out to play on game day.
The players are paid so much money they come to believe they are invincible and above any laws set for the rest of us mere mortals. Many of them show no respect for their coaches. All because they can play a kid’s game better than the average American. There might literally be thousands of men who would give all they hold dear to put on the uniform and walk out on the gridiron.
Football players are the men who should try to be role models for the kids that look up to them. One can only hope their parents still have enough influence on them to make a difference in their perception.
Another fad of which I am not enamored is the proliferation of tattoos. Watching many professional athletes, has anyone else noticed that their arms look like the pages of a comic book?
Extensive body art tends to make me question the judgement of the person in all aspects of their life. The age of consent for body art is 18 years old. Had tattoos been as popular as they are now when I turned 18? I shudder when I think about what type of graphics would now adorn my body. There was a time when I really thought a tattoo of a set of Harley-Davidson wings was the height of cool. Luckily, my proximity to inebriation and a tattoo parlor never coincided.
These days, I am so apathetic I wouldn’t even put a bumper-sticker on my car, much less permanent body art.
It is very sad that the realm of celebrity has extended itself to include people who go places and do stuff. Social media influencers have become a force to be reckoned with and I’m not sure when that happened.
I once laughed when I heard my elders bemoan the loss of the good old days… Little did I realize one day that would become my lament. Put it right next to the ladies we shared a “party-line,” with on our home telephone. As kids, we could hear them say, “Oh my ailments, oh.” That is another sad bird that has come home to roost.
Youth is truly wasted on the young. I find the voices in my head enjoy singing the song written by Diane Warren and made famous by Cher. “If I could turn back time…”
Long days and pleasant nights, have a blessed weekend.
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Readers may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.
