Trash Talkin Athletes

Yet another Gilbert Arena's article in the Washington Post. He is the star basketball player who carried guns into the Verizon Center, which is a criminal act and contrary to NBA League rules against gun-totting players. My interest is not in condemning bad behavior by an overpaid, over-pampered sports star. My interest is in hypocrisy. We idolize these aggressive celebrities until they go too far. After a dose of media 'tut, tuts,' we are told that the individual is remorseful and reformed. Translation: He promises not to shoot or beat up anyone or get caught running fighting dogs or indulging a drug habit. What do I want? Just as voters rejected former Senator George Allen for displaying his racial prejudice by calling a person of color a Macaca, I want athletes to know that bad behavior will have an immediate dire consequence from the get go. I want coaches and administrations at the college and professional level to provide ongoing seminars in acceptable behavior. Patterns of abusive and overly aggressive behavior are easy to spot but difficult to deal with unless the adults take control.