Apparently, Big Ben Roethlisberger got suspended. I won’t begin to talk about whether or not the punishment fit the crime because I’m not Commandant Goodell. I’m not even going to go into what may or may not have happened in club that night. I’ve become so detached with the whole situation that the only thing I can wrap my head around is one of the most simple truths that exists in the world today. People are idiots.
Not everyone is an idiot. There are intelligent people around every corner, but we don’t read about those people. We read what they have to say about the idiots. We as fans may agree or disagree with their opinions, but they’ve done their research (for the most part) and allowed for the reading public to gain somewhat of an understanding of which way to sway. Public copy is important, as it shapes who we are and what we may believe, but in the long run it really doesn’t matter. Ben did what he did. We beat it into the ground. We will walk away. Until the whisper of another problem with Ben occurs. Then, we will race back to the scene of the crime, muddle up the evidence, spit on the scene and cry outrage. I think we all need to get a grip. Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t deserve my time of day, and he shouldn’t deserve yours either.
This isn’t just in regards to Roethlisberger. The last media witch hunt was of the Tiger variety, and the coverage of that makes Ben’s problems look like a common cold. With every woman who had ever hugged Woods (no pun intended) coming out and proclaiming infidelity, we became numb. Instead of focusing on decisions Tiger made and how they coincided with his troubles, we focused on questions such as, ‘how he could have handled his news conference better?’ ‘Can he really expect to make it back to the play in the Masters?’ ‘Is sex addiction a real thing?’ ‘How many women was it?!’ I could go on for days. The bottom line is that all the follow-up questions killed the main story. The man was an idiot. Type it, Print it, Sell it. Except it probably wouldn’t have sold for weeks on end. The resulting aftermath did. And will probably continue to do so. Coincidence? In bizarro world, maybe. My problem with it is that when the media aftermath has finally been swept away, how many people will flip on the golf channel and marvel at Tiger’s brilliance with a 5 iron? Instead of saying, “If he could only read his vows the way he reads putts, I’d have the utmost respect for the man.” If we find out Tiger has been the consummate father and husband after this incident, we should salute that. However, nothing on a golf course should be able to excuse his idiocy. Not at Augusta, not at Quail Hollow, not ever.
I understand we all make mistakes. I’ve made my fair share of them. Some big, some not so big. However, continuing to sleep with other women when married or refusing to put yourself in good situations over and over again are not mistakes.
No, those things fall under the category of being an idiot.
Sportsmanlike Misconduct 