Entitled to What?

Greetings, sports fans.

A lot of people would say that they have a favorite sport, no? Football? Basketball? Baseball? Tennis? Also, if you have a favorite sport, then you most likely have a favorite player. Peyton Manning? LeBron James? Derek Jeter? Roger Federer? All of these athletes are superstars, no question. During their respective seasons, they are endlessly covered by the media. Hyped up. Vaulted onto a pedestal. Sensationalized.

As they should be. These people are great at what they do. They possess an unrivaled amount of athleticism and skill at the game they're paid exorbitant amounts of money to play. Could that money be better used for something else? Yes. But, that's a completely different topic.

Too much hype and spotlight on the wrong people can have adverse affects, however. Plaxico Burress? Gilbert Arenas? Donte Stallworth? Tiger Woods?

The problem is that when certain people are hailed as saviors and worshiped as the second coming of Jesus, they begin to experience a sense of entitlement. They're above the law. They're above the rules that others play by. They're above commitment. The only time anything applies to them is when they're on the court. Field. Course. Whatever suits their sport.

My question is, why do these people think they're entitled to anything more than you or I? Is it because they get paid million upon millions of dollars? Is it because of the radically obsessive, sensationalistic news coverage that ESPN, ESPN2, The Golf Channel, and networks like that provide? Either way, athletes that think that are completely delusional. Just because you can beat me in 1-on-1 does not mean you can pull a firearm on someone. Just because you can "mow the course" with me doesn't mean you can disregard the sanctity of marriage and sleep around. In fact, just because you can beat me at ANYTHING does not give you the right to break the law or do anything that normal upstanding members of society cannot do.

Gilbert Arenas got off easy. Plaxico got 2 years, and Gilbert dodged jail time? The guy pulled a gun on another person. Plaxico shot himself in the leg. Very clear difference here, but the subtle distinction was that there was no proof that Arenas had his gun loaded. Hmph. Justice be damned.

To tie everything together, this false sense of entitlement is damaging the world of professional sports. Even golf is being hit. Perhaps that's why I stick with college football, because that tends to be under the radar of incidents such as those. Let's knock on wood that it continues.