Thursday, February 12, 2009
Recent events involving a certain Olympic hero and slugger may, for some of us, feel akin to the moment we first saw our parents in the nude or when we realized Santa was no more real than the bearded transient at the mall.
Reality is harsh. Once lost, innocence cannot be regained through any exorbitant stimulus package.
The Michael Phelps and Alex Rodriguez episodes have had ample time for dissection from all angles. That considered, I hope the majority of us have been able to take away the following lessons or similar conclusions.
• However sincere or not, concise or murky, we have been treated to two admissions of guilt. Safe to say, it is time for us to drop any holier than thou arguments — we are, after all, college students. Legal or not, we or someone we know have and will partake in activities not unlike the ones depicted in Phelps’ High Times audition photo. A pair of former students come to mind: Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur. With no history of foolishness and a respectful demeanor, the two saw their symposium ordeal quickly become an afterthought. Mario’s Miracle remains his prevailing legacy — a testament to a reputable history of behavior and accountability for one’s actions.
• Big Brother isn’t watching us — we are. Recall how the Michael Phelps “Up in Smoke Tour” began in the first place. A photo was snapped at a South Carolina party and was subsequently shopped to a British tabloid more than eager to publish the evidence. We cannot begin to come close to delving into a comprehensive analysis of past and present stars exposed by the Web or citizen journalism. What is more important is the realization that none of us are immune to this. We are all at risk of having unflattering exploits circulate over the Internet. Current or prospective employers can choose to fire or not hire us should our own damning content be made available. Just this week, eight arrests have been made in connection to Phelps’ pot party — seven on possession and one on distribution. It could just as easily be us.
• At your fingertips is one of the most useful technological tools any generation has had — the Internet. It is frequently evolving and also must be put to good use and proper perspective. It is far too easy to lament our current sporting idols. Too easy to declare baseball forever tainted and every major accomplishment in the Olympics more deserving of an asterisk than a medal. It is as if generations past — ones we never were a part of — were so much more right and true than the one we live in now. This is wrong. If blogs and cell phone cameras were rampant in the 1950s and 1960s what exploits of Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali and Mickey Mantle would have been captured? We’ll never know.
In sum, there are those in sports — as in any part of society — who wish to do injustice. Yet I can think of few deterrents as effective as the watchful eye of the Web. One can cut corners to get ahead one day only to find themselves rolling out a tearful apologetic press conference the next.
There are still games to be played and memories to be made. The highs will be as fervently documented as the lows. And for us students (sports fans or otherwise), a chance to realize that how we carry ourselves outside our homes can be watched, rewarded or punished quicker than ever.
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Comments
Montemayor: Somebody is watching them and you
To me the really bad thing about this is that the people mentioned in this article were just relaxing and having fun with friends. With picture phones it is easy to take sneaky pictures without the victim even knowing they were taken. It is easy to say, well watch who you party with, but it is not that simple. I have often thought, what if they put web cams on poles around the bars in the area of 13th and Tennessee Street. Would people pay money to watch?
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