America's Team? Not My America.

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Even as society gets more and more violent by the day, there are some things that still shock me. ESPN's recent christening Virginia Tech "America's Team" is the most recent example.

It hard enough today to turn on the TV without seeing someone murdered, raped, castrated, or have their internal organs ripped out then used to choke themselves to death, but one reliable place to find non-violent, character-building entertainment was sports. Sure you might see the occasional illegal block in the back or bat thrown at an umpire or mascot punched out by another, but overall, you could be sure that you would see a good clean game played by respectful athletes who just wanted to play by the rules and prove themselves.


Not so anymore. The media's recent promotion of VT puts college football in the trash heap with the rest of the TV shows. I know it seems cool to be hardcore - The strong kids who push the limits and break the rules always get the girl - and maybe I'm not down with youth today's youth culture, but I just have a problem with mass murder and dogfighting. I'm sorry, but there's just something about those two hobbies that I find disgusting. Virginia Tech happens to be the breading ground of two of the most vile mass murderers and dogfighters this world has ever seen: Seung-Hui Cho and Michael Vick. Those two are also Virginia Tech's most famous alumni. So for ESPN to be calling this school "America's Team" is despicable.

If this is America's Team, this is certainly not my America. In my America, citizens do not kill each other mindlessly. In my America, people don't run illegal dogfighting rings. In my America, rich people don't have to go to jail for something that can easily be resolved with a payoff to the feds...

With Virginia Tech as a starting point, I offer you 5 more athletic institutions that are corrupting America:

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers With Jeff Garcia as a potential starter, they are confusing young Americans about gender roles. Too bad we don't have the Republicans in Congress anymore to make a Constitutional amendment against gay quarterbacks.

2. Atlanta Falcons They have pushed back race relations in America 100 years. Why didn't they stand up for Michael Vick when he was accused of dogfighting?

3. Curt Schilling By speaking out against steroid use, he is helping to raise a generation of kids are affraid of competition. How will we be able to keep up with China if we do not have our kids taking steroids?

4. Pat Tillman I know he's gone, but his the thought of him turning down millions of dollars to join the army is still blazed in my head. What kind of example is he setting for kids accross America about to strike it rich in business or athletics? He's telling them that it's perfectly fine to live your life based on your beliefs instead of on the pursuit of money. I shudder to think what our economy will be like in 30 years.

5. Michigan Wolverines Aside from losing to Appalachian State, they are the Michigan Wolverines, and that is bad enough. Go Buckeyes.