I still vividly remember sitting in my living room on one lazy Sunday afternoon in 2004. The Bears were losing by a great deal once again, and all I could do was wait until later in the day to watch a competitive game. Then midway through the third quarter of the Bears game, a game-break came on the screen. It was a highlight of the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings game, which I normally would have had no interest in. The game was tied up 24 to 24 in overtime and the Atlanta Falcons had the ball on the Vikings forty-six yard line. The Falcons quarterback rolled back in the pocket and in the blink of an eye dashed down the left sideline with blazing speed. He made everyone else on the field look like they were in slow motion compared to the eye-popping agility the quarterback used to run by everyone. I had already been astounded enough by the first twenty yards of the run, but to make it the most exciting football play ever the quarterback zoomed by two Viking defenders that collided head-on into each other because they were so far behind him. The quarterback finished the play and the overtime game by twirling off a defender into the end zone and throwing the ball into the stands. I could not believe what I had just seen. I had a new favorite player in the NFL, and his name was Michael Vick. He had just made me a life-long fan from one play, or so I had thought.
Michael Vick would go on to play in two Pro-Bowls, have the third most rushing yards by a quarterback in a career, and became the highest paid player ever in the NFL. In August of 2007, all of that did not matter as Vick became indicted for providing money in dog gambling. He was suspended indefinitely without pay by the NFL and sentenced to jail. I was heart-broken, and could not believe that my football world came tumbling down so fast the way it did. Today, Michael Vick, just three years out of jail, is the starting quarterback for the NFC in the Pro Bowl and one of the leading candidates for the MVP award. Previous Michael Vick and Atlanta Falcons fans should not welcome him back with open arms. He could not follow simple rules and was making more than enough money being the highest paid player in the league and being endorsed by companies from Coca-Cola to Hasbro before going to jail. The Falcons got nothing in return besides a horrendous record the following season. Mike Vick fans only were ridiculed and made fun of for supporting a player who fought dogs. He turned our back on us so we should turn our back on him now.
When most people criticize Vick for his actions the first wrongdoing they point to is how inhumane it is to kill dogs. I am not going to lie; there is no warm spot in my heart for dogs. We kill cows, pigs, and chickens for our enjoyment, so there is not as big of a difference from dog fighting and killing animals for us as humans to eat. You might want to disagree with me on that, but the focus here will be on how simple it would have been just to follow the rules. The NFL rules are almost exactly the same as the laws for living as a citizen in the United States. Most of the rules just go towards NFL players having good morals so that the NFL has a good overall image. He already had more money than he knew what to do with, which some of it he lent to his cousin for dog fighting. Vick had the money to spend time with whomever he wanted, and however he wanted. Instead being a multi-millionaire was not thrilling enough for Vick and he could not follow simple NFL rules and slaughtered dogs. If he was not getting enough competition from football than I’m sure he had enough money to either purchase a video game or buy a UFC sporting event ticket.
Other big name athletes have not gotten caught being involved with dog fighting. Kobe Bryant’s name was rubbed in dirt when he was accused of raping a woman in the summer of 2003. He was found innocent, but he did admit to having sex with the women who accused him of rape. Bryant was very apologetic to the public and his wife. He lost several sponsors like Vick did, but slowly regained them over the past seven years. Today, when people mention the name Kobe Bryant it has to do with being a great basketball player, and the rape accusation is almost completely forgotten. In a more recent case of an athlete breaking the public’s morals, Tiger Woods has been less fortunate. Tiger Woods cheated several times on his wife and it did more than effect him off the field. Woods lost his number one overall golfer rating in the world and has played some of his worst gold since entering the PGA. This has been terrible news for professional golf as television ratings have dropped significantly. The biggest thing that stands out with theses cases is that the United States cares more about outstanding athletes than morally right athletes. Whether right or not fans enjoy watching sports at their highest level and athlete’s personal characteristics take a back seat.
In a recent ESPN poll, Michael Vick had a 78% support approval from the sports fans that voted on espn.com. Everybody is happy for him and journalists are writing about how Michael Vick is an amazing athlete and that people everywhere should kiss his feet. Something does not seem right about this.
What have the Atlanta Falcons gotten in return for Vick? They did not get the first overall pick of the 2001 draft that they used on Michael. Only a month prior to Vick being indicted, the Falcons traded away their second string quarterback for draft picks to the Texans and had nobody to fall back upon. The following season the Falcons finished with a record of 4-12 and started three different quarterbacks. Sure, the Falcons have Matt Ryan, who is playing at a debatably, elite NFL quarterback level, but they could have used that first round draft pick on a different position had Vick been still with the team. Even though the suspension occurred three seasons ago the results from it still affect the Falcons today. Matt Ryan was the third overall pick of the 2008 draft, and just one pick below him was Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. McFadden is averaging 4.9 yards per carry this year and could easily be doing that with a Falcons uniform. If Matt Ryan and recently acquired running back Michael Turner had not played so well then this topic would be covered more often. Overall, the Atlanta Falcons organization is fortunate to have moved so progressively in the past couple years.
If you went into my room the morning Michael Vick was indicted you would find out that I had somewhat of an obsession with him. Above my bed was a Vick poster from a Sport Illustrated For Kids magazine, a Vick bobble head, Atlanta Falcons pajama pants and watch, and finally three different Michael Vick replica jerseys in my closet. It was safe to say I was an avid Michael Vick fan. When I found out about Vick’s indictment later that day I did not want to believe it. I could not believe it. I wanted to set all of my Atlanta merchandise on fire. How could he do that to me? To all of his fans? He has to know how much he means to all of his fans. I was embarrassed to wear his jersey in public. Whether or not I saw his actual crime being an inhumane offense, others did. I did not want to be judged by others for supporting a murderer. All of my Michael Vick merchandise gained dust over the next couple years. What were us Michael Vick fans supposed to do? The main reason I watched the Falcons was to support Vick. When I would watch the 2007 Falcons I did not have nearly the same amount of passion I had towards the 2006 team. It was like all of my Sundays during the fall just became twenty times worse. Michael Vick nor me were looking forward to our time in the near future.
Today I have moved on from being mad at Michael Vick. I am a die-hard Bears fan and was euphoric to see Michael Vick lose at Solider Field in November. He is just another athlete that suits up against my favorite team. Vick had his chance to be Atlanta and old fans heroes. I hope all other fans see him the way I do.
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