Spring Break
For every July, there's always an August
Commentary
By: James Mason
Issue date: 8/10/07 Section: Sports
Originally published: 8/10/07 at 3:31 AM EST
Last update: 8/10/07 at 3:30 AM EST
Originally published: 8/10/07 at 3:31 AM EST
Last update: 8/10/07 at 3:30 AM EST
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July 2007 may go down as the worst month in sports history.
Major League Baseball's month was dominated by its most hated player's inevitable take over of the sports' most hallowed record. Barry Bonds is so hated that perhaps the second largest story in the sport last month was Alex Rodriguez on pace to become the youngest player with 500 home runs, and the player most likely to supplant Bonds. Before this, Rodriguez might've been the games second most hated player besides Bonds. Now he's one of the game's heroes.
The NFL, or America's passion, suffered a mega hit when one of its biggest stars, Mike Vick, was convicted on dogfighting chargers. Oh, wait, Vick hasn't been convicted of anything yet. Well Vick's federal indictment was met with the same reaction as a conviction would be met with. Just a short while ago, he was considered one of the most exciting players in football. Now he's been banished from the game.
The NBA perhaps was hit the hardest. One of its referees was charged with gambling on the sport, including on games that he personally officiated. Yes, Tim Donaghy might have actually altered the outcome of games he officiated. This was not only the worst scandal to hit the NBA, but it could potentially become the worst sports scandal of my lifetime. BALCO was bad and steroids are still a huge problem in sports, but a referee cheating to make a profit is the worst thing that could ever happen in sports period. As fans, when a call doesn't go our team's way, we frequently accuse the refs of cheating. But what if we were right?
Outside of the big three, the Tour de France allegedly took place in July. Apparently a lot of dudes got popped for taking drugs and some non-American won unceremoniously. But as the saying goes: "If some dudes ride bikes in Europe for three weeks and nobody cares, does it really matter?" I'm going to have to go with a no on that one. Golf was hampered by Tiger Wood's lack of success during the month, and David Beckham's MLS debut turned out to be a predictable dud, and nobody cares about him or the league anymore. To make matters worse, ESPN made us suffer through their "Who's Now" bracket during every Sportscenter for most of the month.
Major League Baseball's month was dominated by its most hated player's inevitable take over of the sports' most hallowed record. Barry Bonds is so hated that perhaps the second largest story in the sport last month was Alex Rodriguez on pace to become the youngest player with 500 home runs, and the player most likely to supplant Bonds. Before this, Rodriguez might've been the games second most hated player besides Bonds. Now he's one of the game's heroes.
The NFL, or America's passion, suffered a mega hit when one of its biggest stars, Mike Vick, was convicted on dogfighting chargers. Oh, wait, Vick hasn't been convicted of anything yet. Well Vick's federal indictment was met with the same reaction as a conviction would be met with. Just a short while ago, he was considered one of the most exciting players in football. Now he's been banished from the game.
The NBA perhaps was hit the hardest. One of its referees was charged with gambling on the sport, including on games that he personally officiated. Yes, Tim Donaghy might have actually altered the outcome of games he officiated. This was not only the worst scandal to hit the NBA, but it could potentially become the worst sports scandal of my lifetime. BALCO was bad and steroids are still a huge problem in sports, but a referee cheating to make a profit is the worst thing that could ever happen in sports period. As fans, when a call doesn't go our team's way, we frequently accuse the refs of cheating. But what if we were right?
Outside of the big three, the Tour de France allegedly took place in July. Apparently a lot of dudes got popped for taking drugs and some non-American won unceremoniously. But as the saying goes: "If some dudes ride bikes in Europe for three weeks and nobody cares, does it really matter?" I'm going to have to go with a no on that one. Golf was hampered by Tiger Wood's lack of success during the month, and David Beckham's MLS debut turned out to be a predictable dud, and nobody cares about him or the league anymore. To make matters worse, ESPN made us suffer through their "Who's Now" bracket during every Sportscenter for most of the month.
bruce
posted 8/10/07 @ 4:13 PM EST
James Mason wrote: "David Beckham's MLS debut turned out to be a predictable dud, and nobody cares about him or the league anymore."
But luckily for you, everyone still loves a pompous ass "journalist". (Continued…)