Are Professional Athletes Human?

One of the rare phenomenon in today's day and age is that of the humanity of professional athletes. We see them on the news, see them during games, and read about them in the paper, but rarely do people actually meet players face to face for extended periods of time. That lack of face to face interaction and the digital world of seeing and hearing them through TVs, computers, and phones, has dulled us to the fact that these are actual people out there. Zirin liked to point out that things such as fantasy sports have also dehumanized athletes in our minds. Our perception of athletes have shown through a large variety of ways.

One way fans have shown disregard for the human aspects of athletes are in the form of social media threats, hate speech, and antagonization. Recently, Packers TE Brandon Bostick, who let the game sealing onside kick slide through his arms, was attacked. This attack took place over social media, letters to his house, and through text messages and emails. These threats were threats on his and his family's life...for dropping a ball...in a football game...that wasn't even the Super Bowl. Not to mention there is no guarantee they would have won that game even if he had recovered it.

Another example is that of former New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs. Before a game, a fantasy football player who had Jacobs on his team threatened to kill him and his family if he didn't run for 50 yards and two touchdowns. After the game, which he was forced to miss due to a hamstring injury, another fan tweeted at him calling him names and obscenities for being the reason why he lost that week in fantasy football. Brandon Jacobs simply responded: "F**k you and your fantasy team. This is my real life."

We wear their jerseys, scream their names, and play them in video games, but rarely do people take into account that playing football is their job, a job that has serious effects on their lives. When a player is traded they have to worry about their family, finding a new place to live, different taxes, new people you are working with. When a player is hurt, is it really worthwhile to endure the pain and possible further damage in order to appease some fat guy still wearing jerseys at the age of 45? We don't see athletes as people. We seem them as objects.