Bet My Bitch Can Whoop Yours

There are many things in this world that I do not understand well. Theoretical physics and fascination with celebrities are just two. Dog fighting I get (though I think it's sick an inhumane). Millionaire football players I get. Millionaire football players who get ass-deep in dog fighting? That I just do not understand.

When it comes to sports figures in the news, I don't have the best radar. The whole O.J. thing caught me COMPLETELY by surprise, though the uproar over Kobe didn't. My wife and I were getting ready to watch TV the other night and I ask her if she knew who Michael Vick is. She didn't know him. Then, sure as shit, The Daily Show opens with a bit about him. Guess it's national now.

Why would a guy with a 9 figure contract (decimal points not included) be involved in this kind of shit? Or, at least let people on his property be involved in this kind of shit? Is he just a sadist who doesn't like animals? Is he trying to keep it real with the hommies from his 'hood? Is he so super competitive that he needed something to bet on? Or did he think he just wouldn't get caught? In our society we tend to appreciate the sincere apology to something done to another person (like what Kobe did). We're OK with the crime as long as you don't cover it up. I'm not sure it's gonna be the case with Vick. Kobe at least had a he said/she said situation, so there were people who gave him the benefit of the doubt and he did publicly apologize for whatever he did or didn't do. What's Vick going to say? I'm sorry if dogs got hurt in all this? Fuck, that was the point. I didn't know this was going on at my place? Please, you owned it, let people hang there (who you must have known were into this stuff) and are surprised it happened? C'mon, gimme a break.

People LOVE their pets. Yeah, sometimes too much. But what will dog (pun intended) Vick throughout this is that the animals were not willing participants. Just think, if all of those Catholic priests had been fucking adult men and women in their congregations, not many people would have cared. It's the lack of consent and helplessness of the animals that will burn in people's minds.

From a football perspective, the Falcons gotta be kicking themselves for a) giving Vick that kind of a contract because shit is gonna rain on them for a long time over this (more about that in a minute) and b) letting his backup Matt Schaub go. Vick has never been known as the most dedicated football player and having to deal with this will not improve that situation.

For a long time, the Falcons were one of the most poorly run NFL franchises. Then they were bought by Arthur Blank. Say what you will about him, but he wants the Falcons to win AND be something the city of Atlanta can be proud of. He didn't own the team when they traded picks with San Diego to get Vick (btw--that pick turned into LaDainian Tomlinson), but he was the guy who married Vick to the franchise with a fat contract, for better or for worse. This whole thing has got to be KILLING Blank because he wants his franchise to win AND he's such a big philanthropist in Atlanta. He'll have a hard time sitting in a Boys and Girls Club board meeting while his star player is on the field facing federal charges for dog fighting and gambling. Then again, if he (or the league) suspends Vick, the team, which hasn't been that good, will be in the shitter. Note that Vick is not pictured on the team's home page. He's in a no win situation.

Oh, and don't tell me about race in this. This story is a big deal because Vick is a star. Granted, he has not played up to his potential (whatever that is) so the media was ripe for ripping him. If this would have been Tom Brady or Peyton Manning it would have just as big of a deal, if not bigger, since they are known by non-football fans as well.