A recent ESPN article got me thinking, http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/110201_tuesday_morning_quarterback&sportCat=nfl Should rapists, thieves, gamblers and murderers, Be allowed in a SPORTS Hall of Fame? Lawrence Taylor. Greatest linebacker of all time. Rapist. Child Molester. Drug user. OJ Simpsons. One of the greatest runners of all time. Murderer. Thief. Liar. Pete Rose. Arguably the greatest hitter ever. Gambler. Liar. Just a few examples of course. Others soon to follow include Kobe, Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Brett Favre, Micheal Jordan (Gambling)....all accused of anti-role model behavior. The author of this article states only "role-models" should be in the Hall of Fame. I beg to differ. I believe the Hall of Fames job is not to be a museum (as he calls it) for a good role model citizen athlete. I believe what is done on the field during game time is the ONLY thing that should be considered for eligibility. Records, stats, moments, streaks. These are the things that will get you recognized as the greatest at your game, not what you did in a hotel room 10 years after you retire. Anybody else agree/differ?
It's the hall of fame, not the shrine of nice people. Put them in for what they did on the field/court.
When you have sports guys like the Golden Bear and see how he lived his life, I cannot support any of the above jokers being "honored" for anything.
Honored for what they did on the field. What they do in there own life is no business of mine or yours really, unless they go out of there way (ie Brett..but thats a different topic). I wouldn't want the press following me around in my personal life, that's for sure.
While an athlete's personal choices and behavior may affect my opinion of them being worthy of honor, I've never called a sub par (athletically speaking) athlete a future "Hall of Famer" because they are nice guys. I may think higher of them than some present Hall of Fame members, but that doesn't change the fact that they won't get in on their personality/good role modelship.(sp)
I have higher standards When they break the law, it's a matter of public record. If they are not bothering anyone else, who cares what they do. The get paid a pile of money and like it or not they are role models. It should not be that hard to make a pile of money and act like an adult
Those voted into the Hall of Fame should be reviewed on what they accomplished between the lines, instead of a popularity contest on who the voters think are good men. I think I heard on ESPN radio the other day(could be wrong), that the NFL Hall of Fame instructs voters to only take into account what the individual did while on the field, and not what may or may not of happened outside of it.
Well I am great at work, I am a model employee, but off the field I am just like LT and a petafile. So how long do I keep my Job? How many awards do I win?
What they did inside the ropes is all that should be considered for the Hall of Fame. Just because they were not good people has nothing to do with what they accomplished in their sport. The only thing I would dispute is those that used performance enhancing drugs or anything that gave them an unfair advantage over others.
BS! Exhibit A. Rich Rodriguez Outside of cheating (PEDs, corked bats, etc), I don't have an issue. They have sportsmanship awards for nice guys.
Vito takes Vito Jr to the football hall of fame, there they see LT. Vito Jr Googles LT and ask Dad how does a Petafile get honored in the Hall Of Fame? Vito Sr. He really played hard on Sundays son My test is this: Would I invite them over to have dinner with my family, if yes they would get my vote
What does a Sunday dinner role model have to do with Winning the NFL MVP award at the linebacker position? Lets get real here, LT isnt coming to dinner. Your family pastor, uncle bob, a local policeman, the neighbor, your oldest son probably would. That is who "I" would regard as a role model to my son, not some guy on TV he isnt ever going to meet and learn from.
Having kids, which I do there is no way I want them to see a petafile glorfied in anyway. If your son or daughter play sports they are going to look up to sports athletes. It's amazing what we will over look if somone can score a touchdown or make great tackle Is Brett not your favorite QB? Knowing now what you know and if you had a daughter would want Brett F. as your son in law? IMO character matters
It really has nothing to do with who you would have to dinner or go out with your daughter. It's just a recognition of greatness ON the field. Same as they are recognized as idiots off the field. Maybe there should be a hall of shame as well so the kids have something to NOT look up to. I really don't understand how what an athlete did off the field has anything to do with the stats he put up over his career. Take Pete Rose. Somebody actually got 4,256 hits and yet there is a vacancy for that in the Hall of Fame. Did it not happen?
I would never waste my time or money at a hall of fame, so this analogy is impossible. Should we pretend they didn't play? Should Babe Ruth be removed from the hall of fame? Should they rename it the Hall of Saints?
