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Dion · 09-04-2007, 02:09 AM

How many of us would get the same special treatment if the conditions were the same. Fat chance i'd say.

Then we have the comments to Ray Lewis from Jamal.

Jamal Lewis should get some advice from teammate Ray Lewis, the perennial star linebacker for the Ravens who got out of murder charges in 2000. Jamal said that Ray called him when news of the arrest broke and assured him that everything would work out fine. I’m not sure what he told him, but I would bet it was along the lines of “you’re a professional athlete, they can’t touch you.”

Then there's the arguement that they have the money to buy the best attorneys.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04284/393055.stm

If the O.J. Simpson case taught us anything about athletic celebrity, it was this: He who enters the courtroom with the most expensive lawyers wins. Jayson Williams reaffirmed that lesson after seemingly getting away with murder. Kobe Bryant's eight-carat crystallized it.

Juries unlikely to convict:

This article focuses on the actions of athletes during the game and why it's so difficult for prosecutors to get convictions.

http://www.courttv.com/archive/people/2000/0331/sports_ctv.html

The biggest problem facing a prosecutor is that he/she has to prove there was criminal intent.

"In sports it is the result of the action that dictates the decision to prosecute," said Meshbesher. In normal life a person shoots at another person and misses, we still prosecute because we know there was an intent. But in hockey, it is only when the stick lands that you get any attention."

Add to the fact that contact sports create a fine line between what is a crime and what that is part of the game. Making it tough to prove intent.

Contact sports are difficult to legislate, because violence is justifiably central to the game. Players are trained at a very young age to retaliate because they cannot allow themselves to be intimidated by an opponent. This is especially true in hockey where fighting is an accepted, if not condoned, behavior.

After all, not every notably violent act has been prosecuted. Mike Tyson never faced charges for biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear in their heavyweight title bout. And last November, Kansas authorities refused to indict former Witchita State pitcher Ben Christensen after he beaned a batter in the on-deck circle with a ninety mile-per-hour fastball.

The goal of course is to try and prevent similar incidents from happening again. And with the poor success rates of prosecutors, maybe it's best to leave it in the hands of the league themselves to dole out punishment.

Personality characteristics lead to bad behaviour:

Had to stop and think for a moment when I stumbled upon this article. Psychologist Paulien Wallin suggests that athletes in general have certain personality characteristics that lead to their bad behaviour.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Wallin7.html

She suggests that athletes are more aggressive and competitive due to the nature of the game they are competing in.

That's a given - how else would they rise to the top? People who are aggressive and competitive don't back down from a challenge - whether it's in the face of the opponent on the playing field, or in response to the word "no" in the bedroom.

She also argues that athletes have great confidence and more to the point an inflated level of self confidence. That in itself, she states, can lead to risky behaviour.

The athletes who get into trouble probably do some calculating of risk. But because of their psychological defenses, their calculations are way off. They minimize the consequence of risky behavior, in order to justify it. Thus, when an opportunity comes up, they convince themselves that nothing bad is going to happen and nobody's going to get hurt.

Finally she adds stimulation to the mix arguing that once a game is over they need to look elsewhere to satisfy that fix. It becomes like an addiction that needs to be satisfied.

The need for stimulation, combined with miscalculating risk, is what compromises the judgment of people who drive recklessly, use drugs, get into physical fights, engage in adultery and commit acts of violence. To that extent, sports stars have to work harder than the rest of us to stay out of trouble.

Win at all costs:

This most interesting article suggests there's the atittude among athletes that they are willing to risk everything just for the chance at being a champion. The negatives doesn't seem to matter much as long as they win.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/28/AR2007072801369.html?hpid=topnews

In the mid-1990s, sports medicine specialist Robert Goldman dropped a poisonous question in the locker rooms of Olympic athletes, informally wondering the following:

"If I had a drug that was so fantastic that if you took it once, you would win every competition you would enter, from Olympic decathlon to the Mr. Universe, for the next five years. But it had one minor drawback: It would kill you five years after you took it. Would you still take it?"

Fifty-two percent of those he asked said they would.

Money money money, it's not so funny, in an athletes world:

This was an interesting article that I stumbled upon. Author Doug Robinson talks about the mix of wealth, jewelry, and fancy automobiles and how it can lead to trouble. Throw in a night club or a bar and you have a recipie for disaster.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20070226/ai_n18633065/pg_1

A few examples he talks about:

-- Ray Lewis and friends were at a Super Bowl party at an Atlanta nightclub in 2000 when they became embroiled in a brawl that left two men stabbed to death.

-- Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot to death in a limousine at 2 a.m. on New Year's Eve following a heated argument at a Denver nightclub between his group and another group.

.-- Antoine Walker, playing for the Celtics at the time, was robbed of $100,000 worth of jewelry and cash outside a nightclub in 2000.

Well, you get the picture.

The author goes on to suggest that athletes are easy prey - vulnerable in a way. In fact coach Rick Majerus probably summed this up best when he addressed his team before they played in the 1992 NIT tournament in New York.

"You guys think you're tough," he began. "You have no idea. There are people here who would kill you just for looking at them wrong. They have nothing to lose. They don't care. Don't go to the wrong places. Don't get in confrontations. If you do, walk away."

--------------------------------------------

Feel free to disagree or comment on what I have found.

09-04-2007, 02:09 AM	#2
Dion Not a casual user Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: A simple man leading a complicated life.... Exp:	How many of us would get the same special treatment if the conditions were the same. Fat chance i'd say. Then we have the comments to Ray Lewis from Jamal. Jamal Lewis should get some advice from teammate Ray Lewis, the perennial star linebacker for the Ravens who got out of murder charges in 2000. Jamal said that Ray called him when news of the arrest broke and assured him that everything would work out fine. I’m not sure what he told him, but I would bet it was along the lines of “you’re a professional athlete, they can’t touch you.” Then there's the arguement that they have the money to buy the best attorneys. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04284/393055.stm If the O.J. Simpson case taught us anything about athletic celebrity, it was this: He who enters the courtroom with the most expensive lawyers wins. Jayson Williams reaffirmed that lesson after seemingly getting away with murder. Kobe Bryant's eight-carat crystallized it. Juries unlikely to convict: This article focuses on the actions of athletes during the game and why it's so difficult for prosecutors to get convictions. http://www.courttv.com/archive/people/2000/0331/sports_ctv.html The biggest problem facing a prosecutor is that he/she has to prove there was criminal intent. "In sports it is the result of the action that dictates the decision to prosecute," said Meshbesher. In normal life a person shoots at another person and misses, we still prosecute because we know there was an intent. But in hockey, it is only when the stick lands that you get any attention." Add to the fact that contact sports create a fine line between what is a crime and what that is part of the game. Making it tough to prove intent. Contact sports are difficult to legislate, because violence is justifiably central to the game. Players are trained at a very young age to retaliate because they cannot allow themselves to be intimidated by an opponent. This is especially true in hockey where fighting is an accepted, if not condoned, behavior. After all, not every notably violent act has been prosecuted. Mike Tyson never faced charges for biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear in their heavyweight title bout. And last November, Kansas authorities refused to indict former Witchita State pitcher Ben Christensen after he beaned a batter in the on-deck circle with a ninety mile-per-hour fastball. The goal of course is to try and prevent similar incidents from happening again. And with the poor success rates of prosecutors, maybe it's best to leave it in the hands of the league themselves to dole out punishment. Personality characteristics lead to bad behaviour: Had to stop and think for a moment when I stumbled upon this article. Psychologist Paulien Wallin suggests that athletes in general have certain personality characteristics that lead to their bad behaviour. http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Wallin7.html She suggests that athletes are more aggressive and competitive due to the nature of the game they are competing in. That's a given - how else would they rise to the top? People who are aggressive and competitive don't back down from a challenge - whether it's in the face of the opponent on the playing field, or in response to the word "no" in the bedroom. She also argues that athletes have great confidence and more to the point an inflated level of self confidence. That in itself, she states, can lead to risky behaviour. The athletes who get into trouble probably do some calculating of risk. But because of their psychological defenses, their calculations are way off. They minimize the consequence of risky behavior, in order to justify it. Thus, when an opportunity comes up, they convince themselves that nothing bad is going to happen and nobody's going to get hurt. Finally she adds stimulation to the mix arguing that once a game is over they need to look elsewhere to satisfy that fix. It becomes like an addiction that needs to be satisfied. The need for stimulation, combined with miscalculating risk, is what compromises the judgment of people who drive recklessly, use drugs, get into physical fights, engage in adultery and commit acts of violence. To that extent, sports stars have to work harder than the rest of us to stay out of trouble. Win at all costs: This most interesting article suggests there's the atittude among athletes that they are willing to risk everything just for the chance at being a champion. The negatives doesn't seem to matter much as long as they win. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/28/AR2007072801369.html?hpid=topnews In the mid-1990s, sports medicine specialist Robert Goldman dropped a poisonous question in the locker rooms of Olympic athletes, informally wondering the following: "If I had a drug that was so fantastic that if you took it once, you would win every competition you would enter, from Olympic decathlon to the Mr. Universe, for the next five years. But it had one minor drawback: It would kill you five years after you took it. Would you still take it?" Fifty-two percent of those he asked said they would. Money money money, it's not so funny, in an athletes world: This was an interesting article that I stumbled upon. Author Doug Robinson talks about the mix of wealth, jewelry, and fancy automobiles and how it can lead to trouble. Throw in a night club or a bar and you have a recipie for disaster. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20070226/ai_n18633065/pg_1 A few examples he talks about: -- Ray Lewis and friends were at a Super Bowl party at an Atlanta nightclub in 2000 when they became embroiled in a brawl that left two men stabbed to death. -- Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot to death in a limousine at 2 a.m. on New Year's Eve following a heated argument at a Denver nightclub between his group and another group. .-- Antoine Walker, playing for the Celtics at the time, was robbed of $100,000 worth of jewelry and cash outside a nightclub in 2000. Well, you get the picture. The author goes on to suggest that athletes are easy prey - vulnerable in a way. In fact coach Rick Majerus probably summed this up best when he addressed his team before they played in the 1992 NIT tournament in New York. "You guys think you're tough," he began. "You have no idea. There are people here who would kill you just for looking at them wrong. They have nothing to lose. They don't care. Don't go to the wrong places. Don't get in confrontations. If you do, walk away." -------------------------------------------- Feel free to disagree or comment on what I have found. __________________ Last edited by Dion; 09-04-2007 at 02:16 AM.