Back in Black and Green

Michael Vick will likely play in his first preseason game Thursday night amidst a great debate over whether or not he should be allowed to play football again. What if the question were asked this way: should someone who abused dogs, albeit brutally, but has served his time be able to make a living ever again? If you answer no, then getting angry at Michael Vick is simply misdirecting your anger because you should be writing your elected officials telling them to have longer sentences for those who abuse animals. By the way, I hope you’re equally willing to pay more taxes so the government can provide either a jail cell or welfare assistance to them for the rest of their lives.

If you say yes, then why shouldn’t Vick be allowed to take a job in the NFL? When I think about it, there are several reasons that come to mind:
a) Playing in the NFL, or any professional sport, should be a privilege
b) Vick should find another less glamorous job
c) Vick hasn’t paid a stiff enough penalty

You can make the argument that playing professional sports is a privilege, but at the end of the day it’s really just another job that gets a lot more glory and pays a lot more than most other jobs. More so than ever before, professional sports are just that: a business. The Eagles decision to hire Vick was a business decision. I wasn’t in the board room but I can imagine the logic went something like this: we (the Eagles) have a pretty good roster this year but the guys are getting old so this might be one of our last chances to make a run at the Super Bowl, which will bring in more revenue for the team including playoff tickets and other revenue. We think Vick can add something to the team, maybe enough to get us there, which gives us monetary value. However, some people will be upset with our decision to hire a dog abuser so we will probably lose some revenue because of that. After doing our calculations, we expect that revenue Vick brings in to be greater than the revenue losses he will create. Therefore, we should sign him.

Except for the fact that you’re dealing with substantially larger salaries, it’s the same process that a company goes through when determining whether or not to hire you. Let’s see, this candidate for our company can generate revenue through his contacts and by being good at what he does. However, his references noted that in a past job he used work time for surfing the internet and sometimes used company supplies for personal use. After comparing the pros and cons, we think he’ll add more to our company’s revenue than he’ll take away. Therefore, we should hire him.

I’ve never taken a Wonderlic test, but I can’t imagine a 20 is going to get you too many job offers. No, it’s not the 11 that his brother Marcus Vick pulled off but it certainly isn’t going to get you in to grade school. I say this not to judge Vick, but to illustrate that everyone has different talents. He can do things with a football that I can only dream of and I can analyze historical events he probably hasn’t heard of. Why is football more glamorous? Because we the consumers make it more glamorous. If we didn’t turn on the TV, go to the game, buy the jerseys, etc. the NFL wouldn’t have the money to pay players like it does. If you want to affect how much Vick, and any other football player gets paid, you’ve got more power to do that than if he were working for the government!

Deserving of the chance to play in the NFL or not, can you fault Vick for signing a contract that guarantees that he will make $1.6 million this year? Do you expect him, or even want him, to say, “You know what, I screwed up so instead of taking a job where I’m going to be surrounded by people who want to help me succeed and where I can earn money to pay off my debts that I’m currently in bankruptcy because of?”

Is Vick truly sorry for what he did? I hope so. I’d like to think so based on the comments he’s made during interviews and the people, like Tony Dungy, that he’s tried to surround himself with. But who am I to make that determination? Right now, Michael Vick has paid his dues according to the rules of our society and should have the opportunity to take a job with whatever company wants to hire him. If he screws up again, then it is back to the courtroom. If he’s truly remorseful, let him get on with his life.