The Baltimore Ravens and The Disposable Heroes of Hypocrisy
I’m a Baltimore native and a Ravens fan. But I am not an apologist, for The Ravens or anyone else.
I’ve always tried to separate the artist from the art. I like Hemingway, for instance, despite the fact that he was probably a jackass. I like watching The Ravens play football, but I don’t pretend to know any of them.
Much of the anti-Ravens rhetoric involves damning them for unethical and illegal activity. If you’re going to plant your flag on that argument, you might want to check yourself.
As for which NFL team is the most thuggish, you may be surprised that it’s not The Ravens. Minnesota Vikings’ players scored 32 arrests in the past ten years. The Denver Broncos pulled down the same stats. The Cincinnati Bengals missed the title by one arrest, coming in with 31 since 2005. The Patriots have a relatively clean record, with only nine arrests in the past ten years. The Ravens had 16 – half as many as the worst and seven more than the best, if you’re counting.
The Patriots showed exemplary judgment when they cut ties with Aaron Hernandez. As for signing him, not so much. Failed drug tests. Bad temper. Rumored gang affiliation. However, if you’re waiting for me to defend the actions of Ray Rice and how The Ravens handled it, stop waiting. There is no defense.
The national news media – along with prolific Internet commenters all over the country – were calling The Ravens thugs even before Ray Lewis was arrested for a double murder in 1999. (Lewis was later exonerated, and then pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction.)
Why did the nickname stick? Ray Rice punching his wife in the face is one reason. The team’s notorious brand of aggressive play is likely a factor. And then there’s the fact that Baltimore is a largely black community with a high murder rate. Not to assume that Ravens haters are letting race interfere with their judgment, but writer Monica Moorehead made some interesting points last year in a piece for Workers.org regarding Ray Rice.
“The mainstream media should also be indicted for using the Ray Rice case to reinforce racism and women’s oppression. Not since the O.J. Simpson trial in 1994 has a high-profile Black athlete been made the poster person for domestic violence as has Ray Rice.’’
She goes on to mention a bunch of white dudes who got a pass when they were involved in similar actions:
• Steelers’ Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault twice in 2008. Nothing happened.
• Retired Major League Baseball player Chuck Knoblaugh has been arrested for domestic violence. No one seems to care.
•A young woman is suing billionaire Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for a 2009 sexual assault. His owner’s box still draws powerful people from all over the country.
If sports fans judged the politics and behavior of everything they consume the way they judge The Ravens, they’d be sitting in a homemade tent weaving clothes out of hemp. None of us are without sin. All of us look the other way when it’s convenient. Hypocrisy is everywhere.
Think about it.
How many sports fans will crack a cold Coors Light for kickoff on Saturday afternoon? The brand known for cans that tell you when they’re cold is also known for being boycotted nation-wide by labor, African-American and Latino groups over alleged discriminatory hiring practices and union-busting. Coors is trying to court the gay and lesbian community with a media campaign led by the gay son of the company’s chairman. However, the company still supports far-right, anti-gay groups.
And think twice before you order that pizza or make a run for McDonalds on gameday. You may not think meat is murder, but it might be gross and dangerous. And those delicious sausages you’re grilling up for the big game? Well, the pork industry doesn’t seem to follow the same ethical standards that so many Ravens critics appoint themselves.
Most folks will watch Saturday’s game on a flat screen TV. If you’re at all in favor of the humane treatment of children, you might want to think twice about that.
Here’s the point: we’re all imperfect. As we should be.
I’m not going to stop listening to Frank Sinatra because he twice threatened to kick Sinead O’Connor’s ass. I won’t snub my dad because he likes cheap domestic beer that is made by a company with dubious politics. And I’m not going to turn my back on the NFL because it employs flawed human beings.
And neither are you.
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