Do you still admire athletes?

**holdemplyer** · 02-09-2009, 02:49 PM

With Arod now admitting he used performance enhancing drugs,

A-Rod admits using performance-enhancers - Yahoo! News

It got me to wondering if there are many people who admire athletes as a whole like they might have during their childhood. Don't get me wrong, there are still some athletes that are worth admiring, but as a whole? I doubt it.

I remember when Conseco and McGuire were the bash brothers, I had a baseball card with them both on it that I was excited as heck to have, but now?

OldBaldGuy · 02-09-2009, 03:15 PM

"A cheater is a cheater is a cheater." Great sports article at:
Omaha.com Sports Section

SKershaw · 02-09-2009, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holdemplyer

I remember when Conseco and McGuire were the bash brothers, I had a baseball card with them both on it that I was excited as heck to have, but now?

I think it was a Topps card. When they played for the A's, yeah?

Baseball has slowly dropped of my list of interests and I don't see a return in the future. It's a bummer, because it was my passion until my Jr. year in high school.

Each to his own!

jarredbehrendt · 02-09-2009, 03:51 PM

I have lost complete interest in sports (with the exception of fishing/ other outdoor activities) since I was a kid. I used to be really into football and look up to athletes like they were some kind of gods. In my years I have found that theyre skills (entertaining skills) are no more than that, they are not special but society chooses to treat them like they are. Just because you are really good at a skill does not entitle you to being a waste of life outside of that skill. These people should be seen for what they are, addicts, cheaters, etc. It would be like a chef using MSG in everything that he cooks so it tastes good, no one wants to eat msg in everything (you should not need it if you can cook), its the same thing, if you can play well you dont need to dope.
For the most part sports are not that entertaining to me, not nearly as entertaining as fishing, hunting or any other activity that I do.

Vikes forever · 02-09-2009, 04:14 PM

I think people still fail to realize that athletes are still people.

I remember my dad telling me when I was young that just because someone can hit a baseball 500ft or throw 30 td's in a season that doesn't make them a good person. You don't know how they act when the lights are off. So while I would try to mimic Kirby Puckett's batting stance and routine at the plate and watch Gary Gaetti's play at 3rd base like a hawk, to see if I could learn anything, it was the people who I grew up around, like my dad and my uncle, who I, looking back on it, admired. (until my teens anyway)

tmn515 · 02-09-2009, 05:28 PM

Yeah, I still admire them. I love baseball and the way I see it is, probably atleast 3/4's of baseball players in the 90's and into the 2000's used performance enhancing drugs (probably more than that). No one really had an advantage because they all were using them. If you didn't use them, you needed to find a new profession. Even with this stuff about AROD coming out, I still am a huge fan and won't look down upon him much. He was just doing the norm.

Troy

obert · 02-09-2009, 05:41 PM

Baseball used to be my favorite sport to play. Used to watch quite a bit of it. Completely stopped watching pro. If I fail a drug test at my work I'm fired.

**Ty S** · 02-09-2009, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obert

Baseball used to be my favorite sport to play. Used to watch quite a bit of it. Completely stopped watching pro. If I fail a drug test at my work I'm fired.

Yea but they dont test for steroids. Its an ENHANCING drug. Im sure they would want the best potential out of you and would love to have you doing 3x the work of other guys.

**Ty S** · 02-09-2009, 06:50 PM

Oh yea.

This changes absolutely nothing in my mind on pro athletes. Especially baseball. Love the purity of the game itself.

Nothing beats a nice day at a baseball game with freinds. The atmosphere is so awesome.

obert · 02-09-2009, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Im sure they would want the best potential out of you and would love to have you doing 3x the work of other guys.

I'd rather have someone do 1X the work of other guys without having to cheat and steal from others to do it.

Vikes forever · 02-09-2009, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obert

I'd rather have someone do 1X the work of other guys without having to cheat and steal from others to do it.

For the most part companies could care less about the split of the minion work load, as long as the work gets done well and on time...

Vikes forever · 02-09-2009, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ty Stromquist

Yea but they dont test for steroids. Its an ENHANCING drug. Im sure they would want the best potential out of you and would love to have you doing 3x the work of other guys.

I wonder if it's just a coincedence that my company has just implemented mandatory daily "flu" shots...

obert · 02-09-2009, 08:44 PM

Very true.
Baseball and pro sports were fun when they were a game. Now that it is all biz, I lost interest. I'm a much bigger college fan, though that seems headed the same direction. I just don't watch pro sports anymore. Well except women's beach volleyball and tennis (on mute). In my opinion on this particular subject, MLB failed just as much as any of these players have.

Vikes forever · 02-09-2009, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obert

Very true.
Baseball and pro sports were fun when they were a game. Now that it is all biz, I lost interest. I'm a much bigger college fan, though that seems headed the same direction. I just don't watch pro sports anymore. Well except women's beach volleyball and tennis (on mute). In my opinion on this particular subject, MLB failed just as much as any of these players have.

I couldn't agree more.

MLB turned a blind eye to it due to the fact that all of the homerun chases (and more homeruns in general) gave their sport more exposure and put more butts in the seats and helped heal the wounds from the 94 strike.

**Mako** · 02-09-2009, 09:49 PM

After the strike, MLB turned a blind eye because they thought they were giving the audience what we wanted to see. They were right. The power show got us watching again but they failed to see that when the truth got out, people would be upset. They weren't "investing" in the long run and probably hoped that after a while, they could come up with something else that people would want to watch. It's sad really...

To answer the question, I still do admire some athletes. Not all athletes are pro, not all athletes are cheaters, and not all athletes are bad. All athletes are human and make mistakes, but some do a lot that people can look up to, even when we might not be watching. It can take a lot to be an athlete. I'm sure there have been quite a few who have inspired each of us.

**holdemplyer** · 02-10-2009, 06:27 AM

It was the strike when I stopped paying attention to baseball. I couldn't understand (still don't) how you could walk out on the fans over money when you already make millions of dollars for playing a GAME. The only reason I pay attention now is because of my job. It's a rough life, working someplace that makes you play fantasy baseball and football.

LundLover · 02-10-2009, 06:54 AM

Like most anything, there are a large percentage of scumbags in professional sports. I have no respect for them. But when someone comes along that is worthy of some admiration, I will often give it to them.

I think Michael Jordan. Brett Favre. Kurt Warner.

But for every one worth admiring, there are 100 knuckleheads.

Fishingnerd33 · 02-10-2009, 09:02 AM

I grew up admiring (at times almost worshipping) the NBA players such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Spud Webb, etc. The players who had class; my brother and I would spend literally hours replaying the Bulls championship games we just watched on TV.

We spent hours throwing the football back and forth being John Elway, Shannon Sharpe, Brett Farve, etc. When Farve retired, I cried with him.

I used to have a great deal of respect for athletes who conducted themselves in a (gasp) professional manner. They didn't need the arms full of tattoos, the 'bling' (whatever that means), or the attitude that they were above the law. They also played for a team because they were loyal to the organization for giving them a chance to play to begin with. Now, professionals just want to play on a team that has a good chance to win a title. The dumb idea of everybody deserves a title is rediculous. Karl Malone and John Stockton were two of the best professional basketball players ever and neither of them won a title. But they had the stones to finish their career with Utah and I think they left a pretty good legacy. Those two actually deserved to win a title, but MJ just wouldn't let it happen!

Now it is rare that I will watch a professional sport. Granted, I do love the BoSox, but my enthusiasm is diminishing in any professional sports. I now find enjoyment by watching college sports. It seems that amateur (non-paid) athletes are the only ones left who will play for a team even if they don't have a chance to win.

College sports get my blood boiling, hopefully it will stay that way.

P.S. I called A-Rod's steroid use, told my parents one night after watching him hit 57 homers in a season with Texas. Look at his pictures as he went from the Mariners to the Rangers to the Yankees. Dude got huge.

obert · 02-10-2009, 05:41 PM

Quote:

It was the strike when I stopped paying attention to baseball. I couldn't understand (still don't) how you could walk out on the fans over money when you already make millions of dollars for playing a GAME. The only reason I pay attention now is because of my job. It's a rough life, working someplace that makes you play fantasy baseball and football.

Well said.

thedarkarcher · 02-12-2009, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishingnerd33

They didn't need the arms full of tattoos,

hey now....

02-09-2009, 02:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
holdemplyer holdemplyer is waiting on open water Director Join Date: May 2007 Location: hunting for Kenzies MA gill!!! Certified Youth Fishing Instructor NEFGA Line Recycling Volunteer Posts: 6,076 Thanks: 844 Thanked 1,383 Times in 817 Posts	Do you still admire athletes? With Arod now admitting he used performance enhancing drugs, A-Rod admits using performance-enhancers - Yahoo! News It got me to wondering if there are many people who admire athletes as a whole like they might have during their childhood. Don't get me wrong, there are still some athletes that are worth admiring, but as a whole? I doubt it. I remember when Conseco and McGuire were the bash brothers, I had a baseball card with them both on it that I was excited as heck to have, but now? __________________ "So I says to Mabel, I says... I'll continue this later." Waiting on the shadow to materialize.... Gone, but never forgotten.

02-09-2009, 03:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
OldBaldGuy OldBaldGuy is pleased to have "seen the elephant." Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: The paradise formerly known as Elkhorn Certified Youth Fishing Instructor NEFGA Line Recycling Volunteer Posts: 6,674 Thanks: 269 Thanked 524 Times in 317 Posts	"A cheater is a cheater is a cheater." Great sports article at: Omaha.com Sports Section __________________ “I think every happy memory plucks a hair from your head; if you see an old bald guy, he’s probably had a great life.” –-Red Green

02-09-2009, 03:51 PM	#4 (permalink)
jarredbehrendt jarredbehrendt is Dreaming of Paradise Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Omaha, NE for now.... Certified Youth Fishing Instructor Posts: 2,472 Thanks: 595 Thanked 403 Times in 301 Posts Blog Entries: 68	I have lost complete interest in sports (with the exception of fishing/ other outdoor activities) since I was a kid. I used to be really into football and look up to athletes like they were some kind of gods. In my years I have found that theyre skills (entertaining skills) are no more than that, they are not special but society chooses to treat them like they are. Just because you are really good at a skill does not entitle you to being a waste of life outside of that skill. These people should be seen for what they are, addicts, cheaters, etc. It would be like a chef using MSG in everything that he cooks so it tastes good, no one wants to eat msg in everything (you should not need it if you can cook), its the same thing, if you can play well you dont need to dope. For the most part sports are not that entertaining to me, not nearly as entertaining as fishing, hunting or any other activity that I do. __________________ Fish when you can...... Work when you have to.

02-09-2009, 04:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
Vikes forever Vikes forever is gonna be drinking green beers with your mom... 2008 Catch and Continue Finalist Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The "UnOmaha" part of Douglas county... Posts: 1,299 Thanks: 84 Thanked 269 Times in 205 Posts	I think people still fail to realize that athletes are still people. I remember my dad telling me when I was young that just because someone can hit a baseball 500ft or throw 30 td's in a season that doesn't make them a good person. You don't know how they act when the lights are off. So while I would try to mimic Kirby Puckett's batting stance and routine at the plate and watch Gary Gaetti's play at 3rd base like a hawk, to see if I could learn anything, it was the people who I grew up around, like my dad and my uncle, who I, looking back on it, admired. (until my teens anyway) __________________ "You ought not talk like that...you just a boy..."

02-09-2009, 05:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
obert obert is thinking Reddogs loves figure skating. Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: 100 yards from Reddoggs boat Posts: 2,635 Thanks: 153 Thanked 243 Times in 180 Posts	Baseball used to be my favorite sport to play. Used to watch quite a bit of it. Completely stopped watching pro. If I fail a drug test at my work I'm fired. __________________ I'll keep my money, my guns and my freedom and you can keep the "change."

02-09-2009, 05:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
tmn515 tmn515 is fishing Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Lincoln, NE NEFGA Line Recycling Volunteer Posts: 1,812 Thanks: 850 Thanked 360 Times in 299 Posts	Yeah, I still admire them. I love baseball and the way I see it is, probably atleast 3/4's of baseball players in the 90's and into the 2000's used performance enhancing drugs (probably more than that). No one really had an advantage because they all were using them. If you didn't use them, you needed to find a new profession. Even with this stuff about AROD coming out, I still am a huge fan and won't look down upon him much. He was just doing the norm. Troy

02-09-2009, 06:50 PM	#9 (permalink)
Ty S Ty S is sunburnt, bloody, and beat! Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nebraska Posts: 6,117 Thanks: 508 Thanked 399 Times in 266 Posts	Oh yea. This changes absolutely nothing in my mind on pro athletes. Especially baseball. Love the purity of the game itself. Nothing beats a nice day at a baseball game with freinds. The atmosphere is so awesome. __________________ Ducks Unlimited Waterfowlers Party , Norfolk, NE April 24 100s of decoys, 11 guns, beer, food, and good times included in the $25 ticket price. Contact me for details! Not just for duck hunters. Lots of different prizes.

02-09-2009, 08:44 PM	#13 (permalink)
obert obert is thinking Reddogs loves figure skating. Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: 100 yards from Reddoggs boat Posts: 2,635 Thanks: 153 Thanked 243 Times in 180 Posts	Very true. Baseball and pro sports were fun when they were a game. Now that it is all biz, I lost interest. I'm a much bigger college fan, though that seems headed the same direction. I just don't watch pro sports anymore. Well except women's beach volleyball and tennis (on mute). In my opinion on this particular subject, MLB failed just as much as any of these players have. __________________ I'll keep my money, my guns and my freedom and you can keep the "change."

02-09-2009, 09:49 PM	#15 (permalink)
Mako Mako is missing an old bald friend. Director Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: A bit further south... Posts: 6,262 Thanks: 67 Thanked 447 Times in 300 Posts Blog Entries: 2	After the strike, MLB turned a blind eye because they thought they were giving the audience what we wanted to see. They were right. The power show got us watching again but they failed to see that when the truth got out, people would be upset. They weren't "investing" in the long run and probably hoped that after a while, they could come up with something else that people would want to watch. It's sad really... To answer the question, I still do admire some athletes. Not all athletes are pro, not all athletes are cheaters, and not all athletes are bad. All athletes are human and make mistakes, but some do a lot that people can look up to, even when we might not be watching. It can take a lot to be an athlete. I'm sure there have been quite a few who have inspired each of us. __________________ Be rude to a bully and he'll beat you up. Be rude to a geek and your computer will never forgive you.

02-10-2009, 06:27 AM	#16 (permalink)
holdemplyer holdemplyer is waiting on open water Director Join Date: May 2007 Location: hunting for Kenzies MA gill!!! Certified Youth Fishing Instructor NEFGA Line Recycling Volunteer Posts: 6,076 Thanks: 844 Thanked 1,383 Times in 817 Posts	It was the strike when I stopped paying attention to baseball. I couldn't understand (still don't) how you could walk out on the fans over money when you already make millions of dollars for playing a GAME. The only reason I pay attention now is because of my job. It's a rough life, working someplace that makes you play fantasy baseball and football. __________________ "So I says to Mabel, I says... I'll continue this later." Waiting on the shadow to materialize.... Gone, but never forgotten.

02-10-2009, 06:54 AM	#17 (permalink)
LundLover LundLover is wishin' he was fishin' Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 4,171 Thanks: 118 Thanked 95 Times in 74 Posts	Like most anything, there are a large percentage of scumbags in professional sports. I have no respect for them. But when someone comes along that is worthy of some admiration, I will often give it to them. I think Michael Jordan. Brett Favre. Kurt Warner. But for every one worth admiring, there are 100 knuckleheads. __________________ There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it!

02-10-2009, 09:02 AM	#18 (permalink)
Fishingnerd33 Fishingnerd33 is waiting...ice rod in hand. Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Chadron, NE Posts: 1,578 Thanks: 1,089 Thanked 281 Times in 157 Posts	I grew up admiring (at times almost worshipping) the NBA players such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Spud Webb, etc. The players who had class; my brother and I would spend literally hours replaying the Bulls championship games we just watched on TV. We spent hours throwing the football back and forth being John Elway, Shannon Sharpe, Brett Farve, etc. When Farve retired, I cried with him. I used to have a great deal of respect for athletes who conducted themselves in a (gasp) professional manner. They didn't need the arms full of tattoos, the 'bling' (whatever that means), or the attitude that they were above the law. They also played for a team because they were loyal to the organization for giving them a chance to play to begin with. Now, professionals just want to play on a team that has a good chance to win a title. The dumb idea of everybody deserves a title is rediculous. Karl Malone and John Stockton were two of the best professional basketball players ever and neither of them won a title. But they had the stones to finish their career with Utah and I think they left a pretty good legacy. Those two actually deserved to win a title, but MJ just wouldn't let it happen! Now it is rare that I will watch a professional sport. Granted, I do love the BoSox, but my enthusiasm is diminishing in any professional sports. I now find enjoyment by watching college sports. It seems that amateur (non-paid) athletes are the only ones left who will play for a team even if they don't have a chance to win. College sports get my blood boiling, hopefully it will stay that way. P.S. I called A-Rod's steroid use, told my parents one night after watching him hit 57 homers in a season with Texas. Look at his pictures as he went from the Mariners to the Rangers to the Yankees. Dude got huge. __________________ 'The core of a man’s heart is undomesticated and that is good. "I am not alive in an office," as one Northface ad has it. "I am not alive in a taxi cab. I am not alive on a sidewalk." Amen to that. Their conclusion? "Never stop exploring." ' 'Wild at Heart'by John Eldredge Rest In Peace, OBG.

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