Katelyn Carney
North Pointe
Grosse Pointe North HS
1st Place
Division 2, News Writing
Sports Columnist
ESPN’s Twitter account has over 11.6 million followers. Last year’s Super Bowl game was watched by approximately 11.5 million people. The NFL says that 105.9 million viewers watched week one games. Needless to say, Americans are football fanatics.
Being a fan, however, becomes much more difficult when the superstars are donning prison jumpsuits instead of shiny Nike uniforms. Orange Is the New Black should not refer to a team’s running back.
The recent slew of NFL players charged with domestic violence would make one believe that general managers are scouring the prison yards to fill their 53-man rosters. The truth is, until TMZ exposed the NFL by airing Ray Rice’s elevator knock-out punch of his then-fiancé, domestic violence cases in the NFL got less notice than a third-string offensive lineman.
TMZ, often criticized for its zany and unconventional coverage, should be applauded for drawing attention to this problem. The video that TMZ aired (and the NFL inexplicably could not), has everyone from NFL executives, sponsors and the public doing a 180 on this serious issue.
Did we fall asleep? When did the game become dominated by thugs who cannot differentiate the sport’s aggressive nature on the field from everyday life? From the Patriots’ tight end, Aaron Hernandez, being charged with multiple murders, to the Vikings’ running back, Adrian Peterson, charged with child abuse for taking a tree branch to his four-year-old son, to Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston yelling expletives in the cafeteria at Florida State University, the game has turned ugly.
This behavior has unfortunately even trickled down to the high school level. Cass Tech’s star quarterback, Jayru Campbell, recently became a Youtube sensation when he body slammed a school security guard for having the audacity to ask him to follow school rules.
Apparently, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was satisfied with the status quo before sponsors began to pull their advertisments. It was only then that this multibillion dollar entity gained a moral compass and began to legislate serious consequences for these violations of the law.
Is this what it boils down to? Are we so driven by dollar signs and blinded by stargazing that we are willing to make exceptions for our athletic heroes and sweep these misdeeds under the rug? Does the cost of a victory outweigh the price of morality?
This is not a recent trend. Over the last decade, there have been scores of domestic violence cases against top NFL players, while the NFL offices handed down no suspensions whatsoever. Yet the league’s history shows that prior to multi-million dollar contracts, the number of crimes was drastically lower. Like the old adage says, money is the root of all evil.
I find it refreshing to be part of an athletic program in which good sportsmanship is mandatory, both on and off the field. The respect and humility that composes a Norseman shines through each of us, athlete or not. The positive qualities which we absorb now are what make us unique and what will separate us from the crowd. During the North vs. South game, our student section never put down South with demeaning chants, despite the intensity of the rivalry. The good sportsmanship of the girls cross country team is often recognized by opposing spectators: last year, Stevenson High School parents composed a letter to Mrs. Murray to express their appreciation. Even the act of taking a knee when another player is injured demonstrates our teams’ respect not only for opponents, but the game itself.
So, while our TV coverage may not compare with the NFL’s, and our skill set may not yet rival the pros, our standards are unwavering in spite of the challenges we face in and out of school. Are we sometimes tempted? Sure. But we know how to play by the rules when the game is at stake, and that’s what will bring us success. In the end, we’ll be the only ones truly celebrating with our own signature touchdown dance (one that won’t earn us a penalty).
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At an early age, a young man realizes that he is blessed with athleticism and a keen mind. Supported by loving parents, he begins to work hard to develop an athletic prowess.
Bless you boys.
This baseball superstar is so talented that he is drafted by the Chicago Cubs straight out of Maine South High School. However, he is wise enough to know that education is a ticket to a better life in the long haul. So he opts for a scholarship to Illinois State University, where he is given the opportunity to pursue athletics in addition to a degree.
Bless you boys.
He continues to blossom as a baseball player at Illinois State, where he is voted MVP in 1973 and 1974, named an All-American outfielder by the Sporting News and later ends his college career with a .4366 batting average.
Bless you boys.
Getting a second chance, he is drafted by the New York Yankees and then goes on to win a batting championship and the title of league MVP in his first two minor league seasons.
Bless you boys.
Over the next six years, he plays on three major league teams, rarely getting much playing time but never complaining, understanding how few are blessed to have an opportunity to get paid to participate in a recreational child’s game.
Bless you boys.
On March 24, 1984, he is a part of a three-team trade that sends him to the Detroit Tigers.
He becomes a vital member of the Tigers’ magical 1984 season, where they win the pennant, leading the division wire-to-wire after an unheard-of 35-5 start, eventually going on to capture the World Series. The unbelievably fast start leads to a local news station coining the slogan
“Bless you boys.”
His contract affords him the ability to purchase a beautiful home in an affluent East-side suburb.
His dedication, hard work, humility and ability to disregard the limelight translates into a 19- year major league career.
The athlete, in retirement, uses the college education he received to develop a successful business while devoting his spare time to various charities including (but not limited to) the Police Athletic Committee (PAC), Caring Athletes Team for Children’s & Henry Ford Hospitals (CATCH) and the Joe Niekro Foundation.
Realizing how fortunate he was, wanting to share his baseball knowledge, he founded the RedBirds youth baseball organization, dedicated to developing the lives of young men through the lessons they learn from playing baseball.
Bless you boys.
In truth, it was us, the Grosse Pointe community, who was blessed to have known that athlete and call him our own. In the midst of milliondollar contracts, ESPN highlight reels, steroid scandals, domestic violence cases, salary arbitration, free agents and all other topics that lend a negative connotation to sports, Dave Bergman was the polar opposite.
He was a true professional who played for the love of the game and realized how lucky he was to be on payroll that enabled him to live his childhood dream. Bergman never saw himself as world champion, but as an ordinary guy who stressed academics and respect and concern for others while striving for athletic excellence with a winning attitude.
The world lost a sports icon, a truly professional athlete in every sense of the word, on Feb. 2 when Bergman succumbed to bile duct cancer at the mere age of 61.
The sad thing is that few outside the Grosse Pointe community realize what a hero he truly was. How much better would the world be if all our sports icons acted a little less like spoiled 2-year-olds and a little more like him? Let him lead as an example to all of what the meaning of the game is.
So bless the boys who seek more from the game than the next “W.” Bless the boys who acknowledge that ball isn’t always life. Bless the boys who don’t expect to be the constant subject of the public limelight. Bless the boys who keep their morals above their achievements. Bless the boys who strive to uphold the legacy this incredible athlete left because he will not soon be forgotten, as an athlete or as a role model.
Bless you, Dave Bergman.