Pop Culture - continued

Hi

In keeping with the series of my thoughts on our pop culture this blog is about another aspect of the subject.

I will concentrate on our love for athletics. We have to include both professional and college sports. In the days of World War II many athletes served. The list covers all major sports, baseball had Bob Feller, at 18 yeas old, already in the major leagues he enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor and served in the Navy. He went on to receive several battle stars. Joe Louis, the boxer, served. His heavy weight championship was put on hold while he was in the Army. Hall of fame baseball pitcher Warren Spahn served and earned the purple heart for wounds received in combat. Noted established stars like Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams were joined in service to the nation by the likes of Yogi Berra, a promising baseball prospect. The National Hockey League was decimated because the majority of players were Canadian nationals and Canada was in the war before the USA. Football lost a fine young patriot in Al Blosis, a lineman for the New York Football Giants. The list goes on. Sure, I know, you can cite some of todays athletes who served. Certainly the Phoenix Cardinals gave a starting player, Pat Tillman, who was killed in Iraq. This list of those who served is shorter than the list of people who served during the world war.

By contrast let us look at the current athletic situation. Almost every sport has had a substance abuse scandal. Big name stars, who should be looked up to are in the papers because they either are being arrested or they have a history of substance abuse. I am not going to name them, you know who they are. The National Football League is referred to as the National Felony League. It seems as if every team has at least one guy who either is awaiting charges, has plea bargained a felony down to avoid jail time so that he can play football. We need better from our role models, what have the youth of today got to look up to? This lack of responsibility is a major cause of the decay of our pop culture. Our children and the next generation deserve better. We can help clean it up by not tolerating these characters, let the sports teams know that we do not like it and if nothing is done, we should boycott their games and the products of the advertisers who sponsor them.

Still more on pop culture in the hopper. Stay tuned for the next episode.

Pray for our brave service people.
GOD Bless