Although its true that negativity sells, it only sells because we, the consumers, prefer drastic, interesting, tragic, eye-opening new stories. It is an extremely sad truth, but I think that its partly just human nature that prefers these types of stories. It may be related to society's obsession with horror films. Regarding the NFL, this truth is known with the stories of the individuals mentioned above, as well as to an even greater extent with OJ Simpson. The OJ trial was so popular that even today, people are increasingly famous for it (the Kardashian's are famous because Kim Kardashians father, Robert, defended OJ in his trial [OJ is Kim's god-father]). It was followed by news outlets and people all over the world. Why did people find this trial so fascinating though? It involved a high-profile athlete murdering someone. Why don't people find as much captivation as when a high-profile athlete donates a million dollars to a charity, visits children in a hospital, or starts a foundation to provide underprivileged kids with opportunities to be active and learn?
I wrote my research paper about Donald Driver, a man whom I doubt many of you have ever heard of. As well as being the most successful receiver in Packers history, winning a Super Bowl and Dancing with the Stars, and writing a New York Times bestseller autobiography. Driver grew up extremely poor in Houston, stealing cars and selling drugs to get by. At one point, his family was homeless, living out of a U-Hual trailer. Driver went to Alcorn State, where he excelled in football and especially track, qualifying for the 1996 Olympic trials in the high jump. He was also drafted in the 7th (last) round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Packers. After that, the rest is history. Although he became famous for his athletic accomplishments, it is how he used the fortune and fame that his athletic ability gave him to help others and live selflessly. He runs the Donald Driver Foundation, which focuses on serving underprivileged kids and families, health, wellness, and safety, and education and career development. He also has visited various patients at children's hospitals, and before he retired, he hosted an annual Packers offense vs. defense charity softball game.
Driver is not even close to being the only athlete who uses their money and popularity to do good, he's just a Packer, so he's the best of them. When it comes down to it, football is just a job. Sure, it is adored by millions (proudly including myself), but it just makes people who can jump, catch, and run millionaires (thats not to say football players aren't educated or "smart", because a whole lot of them are very intuitive and just smart guys). Are these athletes overpaid? Undoubtedly. But when they use their money for a good cause, it is truly heroic, especially since those millions of fans will see what they're doing and hopefully try to emulate their good deeds.
I agree completely!
ReplyDeleteWhile I never liked Driver as a Packer, I can't find fault with his character. His actions, along with those of most NFL athletes, are great and positive. The fact that the media solely focuses on negative events is problematic in my opinion, because there's a lot of positive things going on in the league right now. While these negative incidences do need to be discussed as examples of how we need to change, it shouldn't be the sole focus of the media on the NFL, because that's not all there is to the league.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete