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’Net Junkie Shawn "Speedy" Lopes |
Some sports stars
don’t warrant praiseWe admire them for their physical prowess. We are awed by their astounding feats of athleticism. We idolized them as youngsters and hope our children can someday attain such great heights. Yet the gods and goddesses of sport we hold in such high regard are not always deserving of such veneration. In fact, some of them should probably be taken to task by their adoring public for their crude and callous behavior, criminal conduct and involvement in seedy sports scandals.
Perhaps no one in cyberspace keeps such thorough records on wayward athletes' off-the-field and -court conduct than jerkoftheweek.com, which apparently lets no contemptible act in the sporting world go unnoticed. While gifted athletes like Dennis Rodman and Darryl Strawberry can run, they can't hide.
Now, what would a true whistle-blowing sports site be without a regular Lawrence Phillips update? After wearing out his welcome in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers for behavioral problems (most notably striking a woman at a nightclub), the Canadian Football League star was recently booted by the Montreal Alouettes for not meeting "the minimum behavioral standards expected." The dismissal earned Phillips one "jerk point."
"Don't worry, Lawrence," says jerkoftheweek.com, "There's always the Arena League."
To say Phillips is sports' biggest offender might be unfair, however, when comparing him to Dallas Cowboys cornerback Dwayne Goodrich, whose arrest in a fatal hit-and-run accident earlier this year earned him 12 jerk points, boosting his total to a whopping 20 points for 2003. Perhaps even more impressive (or despicable) is boxing's poster boy for bad behavior, Mike Tyson, who's racked up 49 jerk points over the past two years.
Then there's former Harlem Globetrotter Clyde "The Glide" Austin, who was charged last week with mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. He, along with three accomplices, allegedly swindled fellow church members out of $10 million. "Austin ought to do a lot less preying on parishioners and more praying with them because he's going to need all the help he can get," says the Web site. Amen to that.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
’Net Junkie drops every Monday.
Contact Shawn "Speedy" Lopes at slopes@starbulletin.com.
Note: Web sites mentioned in this column were active at time of publication. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin neither endorses nor is responsible for their contents.
