Last week a pitcher from the Philadelphia Phillies was arrested in Boston for assault and battery under the domestic violence law in that state. There were multiple witnesses and multiple 911 calls of the event, which paint a pretty bleak picture. While I believe in the court system and innocent until proven guilty, the police report kind of tells it all.
The pitcher was contrite when questioned about the incident, basically saying he was sorry that it happened in public. Would it have been better if it had happened in the privacy of his home? The team said that because he was their best pitcher it “was in the best interest of the ball club to let him pitch.” You don’t need to clean your glasses, they really said that!
What about what is in the best interest of the women that was beaten?
This shows us that we should not be letting our youth see athletes or the organizations that employ them as role models. There are many better role models in society, but the best should be a child’s parent. There are many parents who are great parents, work two jobs, but find the time they need to instill the proper values in their children. It is our job when we take on the responsibility of having a child to do everything we can within our power to guide, set a positive example and nurture them.
From all this we get to the point that athletes are not what our youth should be aspiring to be. Athletes play a game that most of the rest of us do not have the talent to play. The key word here is GAME.
Lets take our kids to the park, play catch, learn Martial Arts with them, read with them, help them with their homework….Just do whatever they need to feel important and maybe they won’t need to look at athletes as role models.
Remember, Anything Goes for Dinner……
Filed under: Philadelphia, Sports , Sports News & Opinion
