“When Vick takes the field, I for one will imagine the thrashing of pacifist puppies as they are drowned or twisting in the wind as they are hanged. …Maybe an athlete can’t quite get away with murder, but drowning dogs is a different matter.” (Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 8/11/09)
The American sports fan (short for fanatic) creates idols of people whom they know nothing about, aside from their game exploits (my own childhood hero Roger Staubach was caught canned-hunting pheasants with Dick Cheney). Athletes (actors, musicians), made absurdly wealthy by this idolatry, are not truly held accountable for their off-field activities, illegal or not. As long as someone can run, throw, shoot, or hit, abhorrent personal behavior is forgiven (and mostly forgotten). Witness Michael Vick.
Vick, a sadist (written without a hint of hyperbole) who admitted to personally executing his under-performing dogs, is back in the NFL and more popular than ever. The 2010 Comeback Player of the Year is again being fawned over by broadcasters and fellow players alike. One, Dallas Cowboy Tashard Choice, actually requested an on-field (and very public) autograph after a game (saying, “I have nothing but respect for [Vick].”) Pathetic, if only for the athlete. But if, as Choice claimed, done on his three-year-old nephew’s behalf, truly despicable.
The erstwhile dogkiller is a marketing wunderkind, feted like never before: His jersey is the 6th most popular, he finished 2nd in Pro Bowl balloting (fans and players), and he just recently finished 2nd in fan voting for the cover of Madden NFL 12. And the NFL (and Philadelphia Eagles) relishes every moment. Just say you’re sorry, and we can get on with the business of making money and winning games.
Vick’s defenders underscore the American spirit of redemption; indeed, the President personally congratulated the Eagles’ owner for offering Vick a second chance. Some sadly twisted this into a racial matter (like Jesse Jackson unconscionably comparing him to Jackie Robinson). While others simply laughed at the torture of intelligent, sensitive creatures.
The AP reports that the animal rights group Dogs Deserve Better has recently purchased the former headquarters of Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels, planning to transform the property into a full-scale rehabilitation facility. The group’s founder, Tamira Thayne, says, “I would like to see that he’s really remorseful, and I personally don’t feel that I’ve seen that, because actions speak louder than words. I haven’t seen him really put effort into making amends.”
Having closely followed the Vick saga over the past four years, I cannot help but think him a complete fraud. Bad people rarely change. Dogfighting was as much a part of Vick as hurling a football (his father says he staged fights in the family garage: “I wish people would stop sugarcoating it. This is Mike’s thing. And he knows it … likes it…”) So, when did his supposed dog epiphany occur? While serving his wristslap 20-month federal term (the three-year state sentence was suspended for good behavior)? Or was it post-release when he was squarely focused on regaining NFL riches? For us nonbelievers, true contrition would be indicated by joining real animal advocates in the inner-city and isolated-rural trenches. In other words, we would see more than a few don’t do this, kids statements at the behest of the HSUS. Standing to earn almost $20 million per year, it will take much more than words to convince the cynical.
And please, spare the paid his debt to society garbage. The debt, in fact, is not owed to society (how many people were harmed by Vick’s actions?), but rather to the dogs that he hanged, drowned, and electrocuted and the ones still suffering in rings today. He cannot repay the first, and he hasn’t begun to repay the second. And the smart money says he never will, for the debtor is bankrupt (morally, that is). And to each fan who drools over his football feats, shame on you.
This is Michael Vick…
