Athletes Mourning of Michael Jackson a Real "Thriller"

By: Matt

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, died late last month in a hospital in Los Angeles. Jackson’s death was shocking and unexpected, the 50 year old gained fame early in life as a member of The Jackson 5. As a solo act Jackson was one of the most successful musicians of all time, but later in life his true colors showed (and also faded). In 1984 Jackson had the first of countless plastic surgeries that left his face disfigured in a multitude of ways, his skin faded as a result of vidaligo, and he was revealed to be a child molester and general pedophile. Horror stories of Jackson’s Neverland Ranch and Jesus juice came out. The former world famous musician became a literal freak, a should-be social pariah whose former fame prevented him from receiving the unacceptable status he should have had. Jackson’s passing was a shock, but the emotion and affection shown for him in death is completely undeserved. One must wonder what is wrong with society when Michael Vick is hated for his vicious actions against dogs, Barack Obama is criticized by PETA for swatting a fly, but Michael Jackson is beloved despite traumatizing multiple children. The relation to sports comes because many athletes have joined the rest of society in showing respects for a man undeserving of respect. Many athletes twittered about their feelings, and Ron Artest has chosen to wear #37 in honor of the number of weeks Thriller topped sales charts. Athletes, as with all other celebrity figures, have failed to mention the crimes of Jackson, and have remembered him only for his musical prowess. As people seen in the social mainstream, athletes have an ability to criticize the horrible actions of Jackson, but have instead chose to celebrate the child-molesting musician. I am not going to lie, I enjoy Jackson’s music and was even looking forward to hearing what he has prepared for his new tour, but I also understand that Michael Jackson was not a good or sane person, and that he is not someone deserving of the respect or honor he has received over the last few weeks. Ultimately, this is a minor issue that will soon be irrelevant, but you have to wonder, when OJ Simpson dies someday would the NFL running back discussing the inspiration they received from The Juice be able to get away without criticism?