By: Daniel Buckley

Recently, at a professional basketball event, a melee ensued. This, unfortunately, has become all too common in professional sports. Professional athletes are just what their title says, professionals. Professionals do not act like juvenile criminals.

I understand that there are a lot of emotions when playing sports. However, if I want to watch a boxing match, I will watch a boxing match. The actions of these players would be considered criminal in any other setting. The administrators of the league have attempted to discipline the violators of their regulations. In some way, they have instilled punishment. I however think that this is not enough.

Young children all across this country admire and yearn to become what these individuals have achieved. Is this the example we set? Is this how we tell our children they should act when someone “fouls” them? Where do we tell our children (if you condone this behavior) they can and/or cannot act this way? These questions are much more important than record setting, games played or money made. It seems as though this is the “look but do not taste” or “do as I say, not as I do” proverb.

Where does this end? How do we tell our children that they cannot strike another player during a recreational ballgame, when that is exactly the action that they witnessed on television by their sports athlete role model? Where do we draw the line?

Comments welcome.