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Michael Vick Returns to the NFL

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Since today is August 14, it’s impossible for me to blog about anything but the announcement from the Philadelphia Eagles today that Michael Vick will be playing for their team this season.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, Vick has been through the justice system and completed his punishment for his involvement in dogfighting. I do believe he has the right at this point to go on and try to make a life for himself. But should it be the life of an NFL player?

What concerns me about any team taking Vick on is the fact that professional athletes don’t just represent themselves when they play. They represent their teams and their cities. Do the people of Philadelphia—particularly dog lovers—really want Michael Vick traveling the country wearing that Eagles jersey?

This is a sad reminder of the fact that professional football isn’t all about dreams and heroes. It’s a business. My guess is that the Eagles management weighed Vick’s potential to bring in revenue against what will probably be a brief period of negative publicity and decided the money would be worth the trouble.

The best-case scenario is that Vick really has taken to heart all of the re-education he has had about dogs since his arrest and he will ultimately use his platform as an NFL player to educate others who undervalue the lives of animals. I hope that happens, but I’m not terribly optimistic. More thank likely, after all the protests die down and people start treating Vick like a star again, he’ll just move on.

Here’s hoping he proves me wrong.

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