Things Can Only Get Better (I Hope)

With the guilty plea entered by Michael Vick in the dogfighting scandal, a step towards closure has occured. We now await Tim Donaghy's anticipated naming of up to 20 other officials who may have been involved in the gambling on NBA games. I hope that once the Donaghy allegations get out that the sporting world can start looking up, and most importantly looking to make changes so that these things never happen again.

While on the topic of Vick and Donaghy, the bottom line is they are both GUILTY of heinous crimes and should be dealt with swiftly and appropriately. Why some people in the media are making comments about Vick such as "he would have gotten off if he was white" is beyond me. What does race have to do with this? Did Donaghy get off because he's white? No! Where's the logic in their line of questioning? Michael Vick and Tim Donaghy are felons and soon will be spending some much-deserved time behind bars.

Vick has had run-ins before. How many of you saw him flip the bird to fans at a game last year??? There have been many other incidents involving Vick over the years. The Falcons management, along with the NFL swept them under the rug. Donaghy had been suspected of gambling long before the recent revelations. NBA Commissioner David Stern did not thoroughly (if at all) investigate the original allegations. Why is this??? We look up to these people and put them on pedastals whether they deserve to be there or not. Since they are there, shouldn't they at least TRY to act like they belong??? And shouldn't those in charge care MORE about the integrity of the league and the fans, and LESS about the issues and interests of one individual???

Most of our officials and athletes have worked VERY hard to get to where they are at... it's quite a shame that Vick and Donaghy have betrayed their employers, their co-workers/teammates, the public, the fans, and most importantly, their families. The images of professional basketball and football have been severly tarnished by these two criminals. Doesn't this stuff almost make the Barry Bonds steroid allegations look like peanuts??? I hope every official, athlete and other person in a position of power can learn from the mistakes of these two felons and do their jobs with the integrity that the positions deserve!!! As a huge sports fan, I certainly hope that things will soon get better in both the NBA and NFL.

-----