Thoughts on Favre, Vick, and our Sports Media

Of course we were all sick of the Brett Favre coverage before it even started this year. Is there anyone out there who loves hearing his name more often? But before I go after Brett too hard, we must ask the question: is he the problem or just merely a symptom?


Allow me to explain. Brett could have gone through all this “consideration” without public scrutiny. The workouts, the decisions, the surgery. None of that needed to be publicized. Was all of this in the news because he’s a helpless narcissist – which he clearly is – or rather was this in the news because of our absurd craving for this sort of thing? For instance, there was something extremely unnerving about the press coverage of Michael Vick’s release from jail. Sportscenter had his driving route plotted and camped out outside his home for days to cover the event and tape him pulling into the driveway. I can’t summon the words necessary to disapprove of the gall it takes to cover this event in this way. But in reality, ESPN is only covering this stuff because, apparently, we as sports fans have an insatiable appetite for this stuff.

Speaking of Vick, it has been announced that Roger Goodell has been floating the idea of what amounts to an additional five game suspension for Mr. Vick. While I, along with nearly every sports commentator was initially opposed to such a suspension for the simple reason that he has already paid a very high price for his deeds, I’ve since changed my mind. While the league could go about this by reinstating him and then banning him for life for any future misdeed, that option has no concern for Michael Vick, the human being.


These additional weeks of suspension will allow Michael Vick to come back as both a player and as a person. This will allow time for him to get the mentoring and personal rehabilitation that he needs for life in general. No one honestly believes that prison time actually effectively rehabilitates someone. There is no doubt that Michael Vick has had the past two years to reflect on his past and plan his future, but the addition of someone the caliber of Tony Dungy could change Vick’s life.

It’s clear that prior to Vick’s incarceration he just didn’t have the right influences on him. He had no one in his inner circle that was good for him personally or professionally. Even on the day he was going to jail, he purchased a $99,000 Mercedes with a debit card. Who’s to say that he’s somehow acquired better judgment about people and money simply by sitting in a jail cell? If he takes this seriously, these five weeks could be life changing. Whether or not the reasoning behind Goodell’s plan is anything like mine, it is still a good plan.