I love animals.  I would love to have a dog, preferably a beagle because I find those dogs to be very cute.  Maybe even a cat, although I am probably more of a dog person.  I don’t have a dog however because I live in an apartment building where the only pets allowed are cats.  (Cue the sad face . . . ) Oh, and there is the whole not being home much.  I feel that if I had a pet, it would be cruel and unusual punishment to never be around my pet and was neglecting it.  And as you probably know from reading this blog, I love sports.  A great deal.

So why would a girl’s perspective on a boy’s game need to talk about animals and sports?  Two words:  Michael Vick.  In case you don’t know who he is, Michael Vick is the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.  He also was convicted of federal felony charges (in connection with a plea agreement) for an illegal interstate dog fighting ring.  He ended up serving 21 months in federal prison and then later being on home confinement.  Dog fighting is a disgusting practice (in my opinion) that is big in some Latin American countries as a hobby for some to enjoy.  Those who engage in dog fighting can earn big bucks.  In any event what ever the reasons people enjoy it, I find it deplorable and it makes me enjoy a song even more because I do think most times animals end up suffering because of us humans.

This is all relevant because in week 4 of the NFL season, Vick was given the starting qb job for the Eagles.  Earlier in the young season, Kevin Kolb got hurt and was taken out of the game.  At the time, the Eagles were playing fairly bad and when Vick came in to relieve Kolb, the team went on a bit of a “tear” and started to look good.  In fact, Vick looked really good and the questions came up as to how the team could go back to Kolb if Vick played that well continually.  Especially if the team wanted, to you know, WIN.  In the game against Washington, Vick took a pretty bad hit that left him with bruised ribs.  At first it appeared that he had a broken collar bone and possibly a much worse injury.  When this happened, my twitter time line exploded with comments about Vick getting what he deserved, would he be taken out back and shot, dog killer, dog murderer, etc.

As much as the next person is disgusted by what Vick did, I am extremely annoyed with all of the continued bashing about what he did.  In no way do I excuse what was done, but from what I can see, it seems more people are concerned and railing about what happened with what Vick did than what some other players in the NFL have done to ACTUAL PEOPLE.  If you follow much football news, you probably know that one of the names the NFL has aside from what it actually means is that it is the “No Fun League.”  Roger Goodell, the commissioner tends to come down fairly harshly on players when they engage in conduct that is not what the league wants to reflect to the public.  Personally, some of the punishments he hands down I find downright ridiculous as it seems to do nothing as a behavior modification or deterrent.  Other times, I don’t think he comes down hard enough on players for things. And let’s be honest, the people who tend to play football at the professional level are probably not the most upstanding people there are.

Anyway, if people are going to be vitriolic with regard to Michael Vick’s behavior, I wish they would show the same level, if not more for when there are situations where NFL players have beaten, raped, etc. their wives and / or girlfriends.  I don’t see extreme anger or anyone saying they wish that Dante Stallworth was run over by a semi.  Stallworth was convicted of manslaughter when he struck and killed a pedestrian in Florida.  I also haven’t heard for people calling for Ben Roethlisberger to get a much longer suspension than what he got.  Big Ben as Roethlisberger is known has been involved in a few incidents of allegedly forcing himself on a couple of women.  No charges were brought in his most recent incident due to not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges.  One incident of assaulting women, I could buy that as a woman potentially looking for 15 minutes of fame.  But multiple incidents, then i think says to me that something is very, very wrong.  The latest incident that led to his suspension to start the 2010 – 2011 NFL season combined with the other situations he has been involved in, make me wish people were a bit angrier.  Instead, it seems that when he has done such things, people just shrug their shoulders and figure “boys will be boys” and go about their day.

I realize that there is a huge difference between Vick and Big Ben in that Vick was convicted and did prison time.  But the lack of outrage by people irritates me because it seems that suddenly animals and their well being is FAR more important than women being assaulted.   This thoroughly disgusts me.  As I have said, I love animals and I do think that animals a lot of times are hurt and harmed because of people.  But when it gets to the point where people feel a need to go ape-shit when an animal is hurt and shrug their shoulders when a HUMAN BEING is hurt, then I wonder where our priorities have gotten screwed up.  It is really that much of a stretch to say that punishment for hurting a human by beating or raping the person is LESS outrageous than a dog that has been harmed?  Because when people are more upset about an animal than a person, that seems to be the message sent.

In all honestly, I would really like to see people get more outraged when an NFL player beats the crap out of his girlfriend or wife than if a player harms an animal.  Not to mention, Michael Vick has SERVED TIME IN PRISON for what he did.  If he has repaid his debt to society, can’t people be angry, but realize that the continued trashing is unnecessary?  Be angry, but show the same level or anger for the other stuff!  Especially when humans being harmed are just given a shoulder shrug as if it is as normal as breathing?  When I see people getting as annoyed, pissed off and angry about the humans who are killed, beaten and possibly raped, then I can get on board with being angry with Michael Vick.  Until then, I really wish people would just drop the wishing of Michael Vick harm.  Or at least get just as ape-shit crazy when humans are hurt.