Money and Power

Players and Fans Charged in B-Ball Brawl

Charges have now been filed on five of the Indiana Pacers players. Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Anthony Johnson, and David Harrison have all been charged with assault and battery, misdemeanors that will likely give the players minor fines assuming that they all have clean records. Five fans have also been charged for assault and battery. One fan, who threw a chair during the fight, has been charged with a felony and could face a few years in prison due to his other convictions.
I think the charges are fitting for what happened, however I don't think that anybody is too worried about having a misdemeanor on their record. Many of these guys in the NBA grew up a step away from prison and probably have been involved with the police before. When "applying" for a job in the NBA, i'm pretty sure if your resume says you have a couple misdemeanors, but you average a triple double...you'll probably still get a contract.

More Big News in Sports

Im sure all of you that follow sports have probably seen the big news about Jason Giambi admitting to using steroids in his career as a baseball player. I was not too shocked about his admissions. Last year I did a persuasive speech on why steroid testing should be implemented in Major League Baseball. Throughout my research of the topic I found many articles in which players admitted to using, or saw teammates use steroids. It goes beyond baseball though, Marion Jones, the world class track star has been said to have used steroids, as well as many other track and field athletes. One article I read had a doctor quoted saying, "The person that wins the race isn't the one with the best trainer or athletic ability, but it is the one with the best doctor." Whoever has the doctor that can clean out their clients systems the fastest, will end up being the star athlete.
I think its pretty simple, steroids are illegal in the United States. It is a slap in the face to former players who set the records by playing the game the right way, without any performace enhancing drugs. Every professional sport should have a mandatory steroid testing program.
Let me know what you guys think and what other information you have found regarding this issue.

Who are the real idiots, the fans or the players?

I was reading an article on ESPN.com today and apparently two fans that were involved with the Pacers-Pistons fight are now banned from the Palace in Auburn Hills (the Pistons arena). The guy that started it all by throwing the glass of beer, and the guy that walked out on the court and got in Artest's face (only to be dropped by a right hook from Artest), were both banned from all events in the arena.
Personally I think thats funny as hell. Most of the fans there that night acted like complete idiots. First of all, why would you waste a perfectly good glass of beer by throwing it at Ron Artest. At least finnish the drink and then throw the empty cup...but not the whole drink!
Secondly, after Ron Artest and half of the other Pacers players go around punching peoples lights out, why would you go out on the court and taunt them right in their face, and not expect them to do anything. The two idiots that went on the court deserved to get knocked out if you ask me.

"Lets Kick Some A$$"

I am sure you all are aware of what went down in the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons game a couple of weeks ago. I was definitely shocked while I watched sportscenter replay the fight over and over in slow motion. I could not believe that a hard foul could escalate into an all out brawl between fans and players. I definitely disagree with the Pacers players going into the stands, but at the same time the fans need to know their role.
When viewing the footage with my friends we all laughed and were rooting on the Pacer players. However, I would be pretty angry if I was a parent and my kids saw this type of behavior. My opinion on the whole thing is that Artest and the rest of the Pacers players were completely out of line. As a professional athlete you are paid a lot of money and you have to have some pretty thick skin when it comes to situations like these.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this blog is to share opinions about high profile and highly paid professional athletes and what their role is in society. Many people feel that professional athletes have boundaries (as with any professional career) as to how they should act. Sometimes these athletes step out of these boundaries, for example like Ron Artest in the Pacers vs. Pistons game. I am interested in hearing other peoples' thoughts and opinions on these issues.