ATHLETES: Heroes need to be heroic

Just finished reading Jim Litke’s Super Bowl XLV postgame piece. Ben Roethlisberger’s notoriety is disturbing, as it documents a continuing trend in major league sports; though one could argue it reflects the actions of a minority of professional athletes. Unofficially, the problem is likely greater than reported in the media, and centuries older.  

As the father of a former Division 1A offensive lineman, stories of “conquests” are not unfamiliar, and although Jack Pardee held his Houston Cougars to high academic and moral standards, “boys will be boys.” The point is that most college athletes eventually move on, assuming responsible, mature roles in society. The remainder, those who advance into professional sports, do so with heightened anticipation of fame and salary; few would fault their motives.  

These talented Alpha men and women continue honing their skills, often into their 40s, becoming icons with egos equaling those of fighter pilots. The very real dilemma facing every gifted athlete, whether college or professional, is singular: How to transition from combatant to commoner at game’s end. On any given day, we as adults shift between the role of employee, parent and spouse.

Shouldn’t our heroes? To Mr. Earl Hunter — so what do you propose, Mr. Hunter? “So I insist we need to provide adequate screening, isolation and specialized care for our few who should not, must not be left at large in society.” And you also say, it is the responsibility of “Parents…Schools, Teachers…Police…Correctional Institutions…The Military…Hospitals/Rest of Mental Health System…Behavioral Scientists…Clergy,” to determine who will be segregated. That, you say, we, our legal system, will benefit from institutionalized isolation to protect its citizens. 

BUD HOLLEY

Coeur d’Alene