Larry Bird once said, “When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct.” Sadly, not all athletes would say the same the only reason they play is for the average six million dollars a year salary (for NBA players). Whatever happened to playing for the love of the game? The sports game has changed because athletes are never prosecuted, they are easily persuaded, and they are always smothered.

With athletes never being prosecuted, the sports game has changed. Multiple players throughout the NBA have had DUI charges where they either are not charged or they are suspended for a few games and fined. This causes children and some adults to think that driving under the influence is acceptable because they have seen professional athletes get away with it. NFL quarterback Michael Vick was charged in his notorious dog fighting which landed him right about two years in jail (while the average sentence is around five years). This again is setting a bad example to the children that look up to him. Another NBA player, Ruben Patterson, was charged with third degree rape and was sentenced to one year in jail while he only served fifteen days. He also was convicted with an assault and was sentence to six months in jail. As you can see Professional athletes get much less Jail time and often come back to the sport, like Michael Vick and Ruben Patterson making them bad examples for the young. Athletes are able to get away with such heinous crimes; there for, changing the sports game as we know it.

When athletes are easily persuaded it changes the sports game. One way they are persuaded is with money; an example is Amare Stoudimire leaving his long-term career with the Phoenix Suns to go with the New York Nicks. This changing of teams for nothing other than money takes the drive out of the player to make himself and his team better to just making themselves a better player. Athletes doing this makes the game seem more like a one man team. Another big issue is the endorsement deals on products they do not like or even have never used. All of the money pouring into these athletes’ pockets changes the game by making then on look out for themselves and not what they like or even believe in.

The sports game has changed because athletes are always smothered. Some of the ways they are smothered are maids, trainers, chefs, and more. Athletes being this tended to changes the sports game because they become timid when they play. These factors make the game less interesting to watch. Still the athletes feel like they deserve more; which, causes lockouts like the NBA one happening now or the football one that just ended. All of these things come together to change the athletes and even worse change the game.

The sports game has changed. With all of the money and athletes not being held accountable, the game has undergone a downward spiral from which it may never recover.