2008 Woodie Awards
Coverage of Vick's crimes is tainted by race and fame
Matt Hayward
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 1
Two weeks ago, I went to get an oil change, and sitting across from me was this 65-year-old woman, probably a grandmother.
The news was on, and she seemed content to read her magazine as we waited.
The moment the newscaster mentioned Michael Vick, the seemingly content grandmother put her magazine on her lap and focused entirely on the story.
Once it was over, she went back to her magazine and ignored the newscast.
Michael Vick broke the law, what he did was wrong and he'll serve jail time.
What bothers me though is the amount of attention being given to him.
While I understand America's love of dogs, I think the increased media attention on Vick is grossly unfair.
Tim Donaghy, a referee in the National Basketball Association (NBA), was found to have bet on the games in which he refereed.
The NBA is a multi-billion dollar industry, and the implications of illegal betting by referees threatens the legitimacy of professional basketball, yet very little attention is being focused on him.
Vick's dog fighting ring's monetary value is limited to the thousands at most, and implicates only a handful of individuals.
Very few jobs are being lost with the elimination of Vick's dog fighting ring.
On the other hand, thousands of jobs and careers could be at stake if illegal betting by referees is widespread.
There are those who argue it is not about race. But the underlying issue is race.
My roommate, who is white, would say "you're comparing apples to oranges."
We could then analyze the attention given to players like Mark McGwire to Barry Bonds, or Kobe Bryant to the Duke Lacrosse players or Latrell Sprewell to Kevin Greene.
In which case you would find a greater amount of negative attention paid to the African American male athletes.
Indeed, there are many articles, written in academic journals such as the "Howard Journal of Communications," and the "Journal of Sport & Social Issues," to name just two which support the idea African American males receive more attention when they commit crimes, than their white counterparts.
In essence, Michael Vick's dog fighting ring is receiving a greater amount of attention because it subscribes to our societal view that "blacks are more dangerous and pose a greater harm to us than non-blacks."
Therefore, in order to protect ourselves, we should increase the amount of attention given to them.
At this point, we can only speculate whether Peyton Manning or Tom Brady would receive the same amount of attention.
Research suggests they wouldn't.
A white athlete operating a dog fighting ring would be considered an anomaly, and like Tim Donaghy, would almost certainly be ignored.
The Michael Vick story should have been confined to the sports pages, but somehow it has penetrated every facet of our society, to the extent an old woman who probably had no interests in sports...took notice of him.
The news was on, and she seemed content to read her magazine as we waited.
The moment the newscaster mentioned Michael Vick, the seemingly content grandmother put her magazine on her lap and focused entirely on the story.
Once it was over, she went back to her magazine and ignored the newscast.
Michael Vick broke the law, what he did was wrong and he'll serve jail time.
What bothers me though is the amount of attention being given to him.
While I understand America's love of dogs, I think the increased media attention on Vick is grossly unfair.
Tim Donaghy, a referee in the National Basketball Association (NBA), was found to have bet on the games in which he refereed.
The NBA is a multi-billion dollar industry, and the implications of illegal betting by referees threatens the legitimacy of professional basketball, yet very little attention is being focused on him.
Vick's dog fighting ring's monetary value is limited to the thousands at most, and implicates only a handful of individuals.
Very few jobs are being lost with the elimination of Vick's dog fighting ring.
On the other hand, thousands of jobs and careers could be at stake if illegal betting by referees is widespread.
There are those who argue it is not about race. But the underlying issue is race.
My roommate, who is white, would say "you're comparing apples to oranges."
We could then analyze the attention given to players like Mark McGwire to Barry Bonds, or Kobe Bryant to the Duke Lacrosse players or Latrell Sprewell to Kevin Greene.
In which case you would find a greater amount of negative attention paid to the African American male athletes.
Indeed, there are many articles, written in academic journals such as the "Howard Journal of Communications," and the "Journal of Sport & Social Issues," to name just two which support the idea African American males receive more attention when they commit crimes, than their white counterparts.
In essence, Michael Vick's dog fighting ring is receiving a greater amount of attention because it subscribes to our societal view that "blacks are more dangerous and pose a greater harm to us than non-blacks."
Therefore, in order to protect ourselves, we should increase the amount of attention given to them.
At this point, we can only speculate whether Peyton Manning or Tom Brady would receive the same amount of attention.
Research suggests they wouldn't.
A white athlete operating a dog fighting ring would be considered an anomaly, and like Tim Donaghy, would almost certainly be ignored.
The Michael Vick story should have been confined to the sports pages, but somehow it has penetrated every facet of our society, to the extent an old woman who probably had no interests in sports...took notice of him.