Last night, I had a group date. It was a rough start, but had a satisfying ending. You could call it a win. Due to scheduling, it was the first time since we were introduced that I was able to see this guy. I had mixed emotions when I first heard about him: He had spent time in jail. He’s bankrupt. He can be a little sloppy. But he can score. Did I mention, he’s not Jewish?
My mom doesn’t like him so much. My dad says, ‘we’ll see’. I’m still not sure how it’ll all turn out. I’ve been disappointed in the past.
No… not another Jdate fiasco. I’m talking about my relationship with The Eagles. And who is “heâ€? Michael Vick. In last night’s preseason game, he went in for 6 plays in the first quarter, 4 for 4 completed passes for 19 yards.  He managed to get Akers in range for a field goal, but overall… kind of a disappointing start to his first season out of prison. And, I’m not sure if I’m proud or horrified that all 10 Eagles fans that showed up to the game actually gave Vick a standing ovation. He killed dogs for money and amusement. But is he a good Quarterback? He was. The rest remains to be seen.Â
And this is the struggle of a Philadelphia fan – Animal Cruelty vs. Making Plays. Because without that first field goal, we might not have won 33-32. And what’s more important to a Philly fan than winning? Certainly not our dignity or compassion for other living things. The questions that Vick’s signing has raised are valid – how much stock do we place in our Sports Heroes? Baseball players who use steroids; Basketball stars accused of rape; football players shooting themselves or others, getting arrested for DUIs, running dog fighting rings. What’s a nice Jewish kid to do? Maybe it’s time to put away the sports trading cards and return to Heroes of the Torah cards instead.  It’s a good thing we can now find and recognize our own Jewish heroes. But I digress…
So the date didn’t go exactly as I’d hoped. But a Win is a Win. I’m still nervous – is this another T.O.-like disaster in the making? Could be.  Might I end up disappointed? Possibly.  But will I see him again? Definitely.
- The Shabbat Experiment - 8/22/2010
- Take a Stand - 8/7/2010
- Self This - 3/27/2010
As an American Jew, people often confuse me as being a liberal.
Vick may be a criminal, but then again, so are most of the Philly fans. A match made in heaven.
as an animal lover, i can’t excuse Vick’s actions, no matter if he’s a product of society (or not – i’m not sure i agree with that line of thought). others might feel differently.
as an Eagles fan, ever optimistic (this year to the Superbowl!) – I think I’ll overlook his animal abusing ways if he pushes us towards a superbowl win. But as a typical philadelphia fan, i feel confident that should we not get to the superbowl, i’ll blame it on Vick.
I’m a bit confused. Liberals (not saying Arielle is, I don’t know, but I would assume so, being she’s an American Jew and all) generally never blame the perp but blame society for making the perp what they are: “a product of society” if you will. But this Vick thing really skews that normal belief system because now animals are involved, and if there’s any victim group that classic libs like most, it’s “the animals!”. So what’s a classic lib to do when one victim ends up victimizing a more defenseless victim? I know, conundrums. I bet the moral issue would be much easier to determine had Vick been a white Christian male from teh middle class who has no excuses, but here we have a guy who was raised in a local society that for the most part approves of dog fighting. So is Vick the abuser or is he a victim? Being that I’m just some Atlas Shrugged reading heartless rube, you know which way I lean, but I am interested in your views as well…