If this year has proved anything to the observing public, it's that the Suits in control of our precious industries don't operate on a level playing field. This has happened time and again, from minor infractions to major crimes, and it's time to acknowledge that something is a little off about the current system. It applies to both sports (my area of "expertise") and, more importantly, in the real world of politics and economics. I don't have a very firm grasp on the latter issues, but I'll take my shots.
The most obvious transgressions recognized by the public are the ones that involve scrutiny and punishment. Bill Belichik and Eliot Spitzer may have less in common than me and my Aunt Sylvia, but their wrongdoings perfectly illustrate the abuse of power. The common bond is the belief that they were above the law and invulnerable to detection. That said, I want to discuss a more subtle, legal, but indefensible type of abuse.
Much has been made of the decline of the economy over the past year or so, but as destructive as the monumental collapse of some of our most important banks has been, it's hard to ignore the fact that they deserved the backlash. They took advantage of a flawed system and manipulated an asymetrical well of information to try and make that extra buck. Often times, in the past at least, those types of decisions paid off, but just like a drunk gambler, you have to know when to quit, or at least start lowering your bets. I want to relate that type of manipulation and exploitation to the world of sports.
As Epstizz so elegantly discussed earlier, Danny Ainge, in the span of a few days, changed a culture in Boston. But how is it that he has the wits and tact to pull off such a significant deal when other teams could not. I mean, did no other GM covet Kevin Garnett the way Ainge did? Was there really no other GM out there willing to part ways with something more than the package of Al Jefferson and a few role players? I find it very hard to believe. So maybe it wasn't Ainge's superior negotiating skill but an abuse of his situation. As convincing as any argument can be, I will never believe that Ainge actually thought that trade was an even one. An all-timer with a few elite years left for a possible All-Star and a few scrubs? No, Ainge manipulated the information-edge he had over everyone else. Ainge, though, isn't regarded as immoral; he's just a savvy businessman.
There is another person contaminating our sports world, that's right, 60 Minutes very own Jose Canseco. In a world where philanthropists take a backseat to philanderers, Jose Canseco is the cream of the media crop. Everyone wants a piece of him. He is the Joseph McCarthy of the 21st Century.
If he were a police officer, he would steal a kilogram of heroin from the evidence room, distribute it to non-addicts in his apartment and then tell the police his housemates were criminals. Sounds to me like entrapment...too bad entrapment doesn't exist in the court of social laws and logic. He has blackmailed ball players - finance my film or prepare to become a steriod user - and ignored confidences. All for the sake of his bank account. Had he been a better athlete with a longer career, maybe the steroid era continues on with Barry Bonds as the only casualty. But he needs more money, and the only concievable method is violating unwritten rules and abusing his databank of information.
So, I say, if the Subprime Debacle had anything to say about Karma (more likely with stupidity, but we can still hope), I'm bracing myself for the day you inherit the wind.
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