Being an athlete can come with fame, fortune, and admiration. But it can also bring special treatment when mistakes arise.
“Athletes at every level are viewed under a microscope for every action, so it makes sense that we always hear about so and so who plays for a program being arrested for something like speeding or possession of drugs,” said junior Dylan Turner.
This constant attention often makes it seem that athletes commit more crimes than non-athletes. But it can be argued that it is only because similar offenses go unnoticed by the general public.
“If an athlete gets pulled over for speeding it makes headlines. But if I get pulled over for the same thing, most people wouldn’t bat an eye,” said senior Matthew Sullivan.
This extra attention might also cause fans to wonder if their status is getting them out of these situations. Some believe that this protection doesn’t just change how athletes are seen, but also how they are disciplined.
Senior Lilliana Mitchell offered her opinion.
“Some of these offenses are dropped against athletes not only because of their image, but the images of their coaches and organizations. These players have never faced true discipline for their actions because their coaches hope to protect their image.”
Many students agree that in most cases, disciplinary actions, often swept under the rug when an athlete commits a crime, cause these incidents to never be heard of again.
“The money that athletes bring in each year almost serves as a get out of jail free card,” said senior Ali Jones. “If they weren’t being paid what they are now then you would see a lot more athletes being convicted of crimes.”
Some students argued that money is not the issue.
“Ownership and coaching has become too protective over players’ image. Oftentimes owners and directors for programs will do whatever it takes to protect a player from serving prison time,” said freshman Henry Borg.
This idea adds to the concerns of whether ethics and fairness is being upheld in professional organizations.
“If these organizations continue to lie and cheat to protect a player in a game, then what can we expect from them when an athlete needs protection in the real world?” said senior Dom Delnegro.
With the world of sports continuously growing at a rapid pace, some students worry whether or not future athletes will continue to be protected by these organizations.
“Because of the way the culture is in the sports world today, I worry that future professional athletes will be fully immune to any consequences that they should face given a crime they commit,” said sophomore Troy Horsley.
