Post by Bret Walker on Aug 18, 2003 9:52:16 GMT -5
OK let me honest here. I don't give a shit about the Atlanta Falcons, and I certainly don't give a shit about Michael Vick, who snubbed fans in Philadelphia when they came to town for the playoffs last year. His attitude irked me then, and I thought that the Falcons got what they deserved, acting as if the Eagles were going to take it up the bum.
But for Michael Vick to have his ankle broken (similar to the way that Donovan McNabb had his ankle broken last year) - in a PRE-SEASON game (or as the rest of us call it, "Exhibition" game) - is just ridiculous. The NFL Player's Association is absolutely the weakest union of all the four major sports to allow this to happen. The NFL is the only league that televises these exhibition games, that charges attendees the same price to see these lame games as they do for regular season games, who don't even pay their players for these games - and for a major player such as the starting quarterback to be knocked out for about 1/3 of the season is just a travesty of the system. Why do they risk their players' health in these games that do noghtin but provide revenue to the owners? Well, I guess I just answered that question. It's all bout making money for the owners; money that they don't have to turn over to the players. The NFL players are some of the lowest-paid athletes among major sports. Hell, even hockey players make more money nowadays (something I agree with, because 82 games of Hockey is way more intense than 16 games of Football). But it's the Players' Association that allow the owners to hold them over the barrel. The owners in the league hold the players over the barrel, they hold the fans over the barrel, and they really don't give a shit because the bottom line is, as shitty and one-sided as things are, the players keep playing and the fans keep showing up to the games. It's a bottom-line driven sport, and it's really gotten under my skin.
So I wish Michael Vick a speedy recovery. After all, he's due in Philly right about the time he should be fully rehabbed. And we're not done abusing him yet.
But for Michael Vick to have his ankle broken (similar to the way that Donovan McNabb had his ankle broken last year) - in a PRE-SEASON game (or as the rest of us call it, "Exhibition" game) - is just ridiculous. The NFL Player's Association is absolutely the weakest union of all the four major sports to allow this to happen. The NFL is the only league that televises these exhibition games, that charges attendees the same price to see these lame games as they do for regular season games, who don't even pay their players for these games - and for a major player such as the starting quarterback to be knocked out for about 1/3 of the season is just a travesty of the system. Why do they risk their players' health in these games that do noghtin but provide revenue to the owners? Well, I guess I just answered that question. It's all bout making money for the owners; money that they don't have to turn over to the players. The NFL players are some of the lowest-paid athletes among major sports. Hell, even hockey players make more money nowadays (something I agree with, because 82 games of Hockey is way more intense than 16 games of Football). But it's the Players' Association that allow the owners to hold them over the barrel. The owners in the league hold the players over the barrel, they hold the fans over the barrel, and they really don't give a shit because the bottom line is, as shitty and one-sided as things are, the players keep playing and the fans keep showing up to the games. It's a bottom-line driven sport, and it's really gotten under my skin.
So I wish Michael Vick a speedy recovery. After all, he's due in Philly right about the time he should be fully rehabbed. And we're not done abusing him yet.
