The Volokh Conspiracy
[David Kopel, October 22, 2005 at 11:13am] Trackbacks
Cheater Prospers:

For many years, Denver Bronco Bill Romanowski was the dirtiest player in the National Football League. Now, the media are helping the despicable "Romo" sell his self-sreving autobiography. In my latest media column for the Rocky Mountain News, I argue that the media shouldn't help cheaters prosper. Instead, the media should publicize sports autobiographies by players who didn't make a career of cheating. For example, it's too bad the media almost completely ignored The First Black Quarterback, by Marlin Briscoe.

Nikki (www):
Sports media is indeed problematic ... the media are in bed with the leagues, in much the same way that the mainstream (news) media is entangled with the political establishment. (Incidentally, the sports media also promoted Jose Canseco's book Juiced.)

You're from Denver, eh? What do you think of Woody Paige? ;)
10.22.2005 11:43am
Joel B. (mail):
Cheating in professional sports has always been interesting. Especially in baseball, the game kind of has a love/hate relationship with it. After all some of the "greats" of the game were ones who cheated quite often.

This is part of the reason I found myself having a hard time getting exercised over the steroid scandal, the only real "crime" for baseball was getting caught. But heh, that's the key to being great is cheating but not getting caught.

At least, that's my take.
10.22.2005 2:09pm
Joel B. (mail):
Cheating in professional sports has always been interesting. Especially in baseball, the game kind of has a love/hate relationship with it. After all some of the "greats" of the game were ones who cheated quite often.

This is part of the reason I found myself having a hard time getting exercised over the steroid scandal, the only real "crime" for baseball was getting caught. But heh, that's the key to being great is cheating but not getting caught.

At least, that's my take.
10.22.2005 2:09pm
John Jenkins (mail):
It's this simple: Romo will sell copy. Marlin Briscoe wouldn't.
10.22.2005 2:20pm
Alex Dorph (mail) (www):
Yes I agree. But then again, its football so those guys deserve each other, and they know what they are getting into.

R2000
Bathroom Review
10.22.2005 3:11pm
Eric:
This can have a lot to do with who the publisher is. Many networks have these cross-promotion deals inside of or between media empires. The publisher of Briscoe's book is "Cross Training" publications or something, whereas the publisher of the other book is "William Morrow" which is owned by newscorp apparently. Romo was a bigger name too.
10.22.2005 3:40pm
Jonny's_Light:
I'm not sure if Romo came out and claimed he took steriods to cleanse his hands and his mind or to give him more notoriety and market his new book....
10.22.2005 4:22pm
Veggie_Burger (mail):
Do you really think you will be able to shame a large corporate media outfit into denying media attention to an interesting human interest story. That NFL clown is going to make a buck off of it, and your going to stop him! How funny! How naive!
10.22.2005 6:45pm
Jack Bauer (mail):
Veggie, My. Koppel obviously did not believe that this post would result in that book not being published.

I think perhaps you are the dullard here, not him.

The only thing interesting about that particular book is that it will be successful only because of cheating. Not the 'human interest' hogwash you seem to believe in... rather naively I might add. Which would explain the post about that factor.

The whole rags to riches story is so compelling in our culture becuase so many can escape their reality by vicariously living someone elses. Cheating makes some of those stories more believable to people who are insecure that they could ascend fairly. Which explains why the people who are so defensive about such things are often those with reason to be insecure.
10.22.2005 9:53pm
Elway's Bastard Child:
Romo is, and will always be, The Man.

Let's go... Broncos. Let's go... Broncos. Let's go Broncos, Broncos, LET'S GO!
10.23.2005 12:38am
Anthony:
Why should professional sports be treated any differently to any other field of "achievement"?

When the media stops publicizing, and enriching, convicted felons (Martha Stewart, Gordon Liddy, Chuck Colson and countless others) - in some cases the felony being their only claim to "fame" - maybe then they can start ignoring folks whose biggest sin was corking a bat or getting a little pharmaceutical help.

Until then, notoriety sells. Deal with it, and don't get too distraught over the (relatively) minor sins of overpaid sports-people.
10.23.2005 8:41am
jallgor (mail):
Romo's steroid use is the most minor of his flaws. What was really despicable about him were the cheap shots and late hits that ended seasons and careers. He really is a sick human being and he was a digrace to the sport and steroids had little to do with that as far as i am concerned.
10.24.2005 9:11am

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