MICHAEL VICK

Michael Vick

Abstract

Athletes often find themselves in situations wherein they make speeches of apologia or seek to repair their images. Michael Vick gave such a speech on August 27, 2007, following his conviction for involvement in dogfighting and gambling. By conducting a close textual analysis of Vick's speech of apologia, this study applies apologia and image repair theories to his speech and suggests expansion of these theories to more fully account for such instances of sports apologia.

Introduction

Organized dog fighting is inhumane. It is a heinous and indefensible undertaking that reflects distressing characteristics of man's nature. Michael Vick as a defendant in a federal criminal case. According to the documents, Vick is charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture.

Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback and heretofore one of the NFL's most marketable and popular players, has revealed himself to be troubled and conflicted by virtue of his participation in dog fighting, which some have disturbingly and ignorantly referred to as a sport. Football is a sport. Organized dog fighting is a crime. And therefore, Vick, through his attorney, Billy Martin, has agreed to plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges for his role in a dog fighting operation. A hearing is scheduled for Monday, August 27, in Richmond, Virginia.

The likely outcome is that the 27-year-old Vick, a native of Newport News, Virginia, will be sentenced to between one year and 18 months in prison.

Dog fighting has been in Vick's culture from the time when he was growing up in the south. He has been around it his entire life and has become numb to the idea of animal cruelty. Furthermore, The National Football League should donate whatever fines levied against Vick to animal rescue programs and the Atlanta Falcons should use the returned signing bonus from Vick and donate the money to PETA or other animal rights activists around the US. At the very least, this will help to repair the public relations damage with the fans this entire situation has inflicted on both organizations.

Michael Vick may be fast and elusive on the football field, but he could not escape a federal indictment on interstate dog fighting charges for the financial funding of the dog fighting enterprise by the name of “Bad Newz Kennels.” Many people are demanding that Michael Vick serve the maximum sentence allowable in prison for his involvement in illegal dog fighting and the termination of six to eight dogs that didn't perform well in fights. Vick deserves to be punished - and punished severely. However, there have to be reasonable limits to that punishment. When is enough enough? When does the punishment outweigh the crime? The justice Michael Vick will incur from the humiliation, vilification, and demonization from general public and the mass media, the loss of income and lifestyle from the NFL, and the fines and endorsements he has already lost, will be more than sufficient punishment for Michael Vick and ...