Although this post is not focused solely on the White Sox, I
believe that the content is extremely important to professional sports. Josh
Hamilton, Texas Rangers outfielder, is a recovering drug and alcohol
addict. He had been staying away from
both drugs and alcohol for some time now.
That is until a few days ago.
Hamilton was recently spotted in Dallas consuming alcohol at a local
bar. The fact that Hamilton is drinking
again, or simply had a lapse in judgment raises a lot of red flags for the
Rangers and Major League Baseball. With
Hamilton’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, making him a free
agent, the Rangers have to decide how much risk they are willing to put on
Hamilton. Do they sign Hamilton and hope
this does not happen again, or let him walk away?
Hamilton held a press conference today to apologize for his
actions. He stated, “It was just
wrong. That’s all it comes down to. I
needed to be responsible, period, and I was not responsible. Those actions hurt
a lot of people who are very close to me.”
It is evident that Hamilton is sorry for his actions, but will that stop
him in the future? The actions of
Hamilton touch close to home for all professional sports organizations. Athletes are role models for our youth and
when they have a lapse in judgment, kids pick up on it. They see Josh Hamilton as a hero because he
is a professional baseball player.
Athletes must be held to a higher standard with in public because they
are public figures and the whole world is watching their every action. Hamilton and others need to think before they
act.
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