For those scoring at home, Bam Morris flunked his drug/alcohol test in January, lost his appeal in March and didn't see the news in the papers until August.
It would qualify as an amazing feat except that the Ravens are part of the NFL, a tightly knit collective well-versed in the art of dealing disinformation. Surely you haven't forgotten the great expansion sham.
Anyway, the Ravens obviously wanted to squelch the news about Morris for as long as possible, fearful of the impact of negative headlines at a time when they were coming off a 4-12 season and selling season tickets to fewer customers than a year ago.
They need not have worried.
Bad news about athletes -- in any sport -- has little impact on ticket sales and overall fan interest.
If it did, the entire sports world would have closed up long ago.
The athlete-in-trouble story has become a staple of the industry, as common as box scores in the morning paper. Who is surprised by anything anymore?
This week alone, there was Barry "Wyatt Earp" Switzer toting his six-shooter at the Dallas airport, and Allen Iverson's car getting stopped going 93 mph with guns, drugs and Iverson himself inside.
Morris' suspension was almost a routine no-biggie by comparison, as newsworthy as it was around here.
Anyway, the point is that no matter how high the stack of negative headlines rises, the majority of stadiums and arenas are still full, television ratings are still soaring and billions of dollars are still coursing through the veins of the sports business.
The lesson? Fans just don't care about the never-ending avalanche of jocks in trouble.
Wait, that's not right. Some fans do care. Care enough to stop paying money and attention, in fact.
But the fans who were going to be turned off surely were turned off long ago, leaving the vast majority, which chooses to ignore much of the trouble and cheer just as hard when the games begin.
The fact that the trouble-making Dallas Cowboys are as popular as ever testifies to that.
Oh, the fans might be offended in the short term and cast disbelief at how foolish the athlete is for blowing the chance to make good money playing a game, but they aren't about to turn off the TV or not buy a ticket.
And you can see their reasoning.
Sports are their hobby, an escape from their real world of jobs and bosses and bills, the antidote they use for relief from the stresses of everyday life.
They don't want the real world invading their fun. Who does? Life is tough enough without that.
Everyone needs a getaway spot somewhere in their lives, a place reserved solely for fun, a place where they can let down and relax without having to worry about adhering to standards and always doing and saying the right things.
Those who choose sports as that getaway place simply don't want to hear the bad news, thank you.
For them, judging players and cheering for players are entirely separate issues.
Cowboys fans aren't going to stop cheering because Switzer decided to play sheriff at the airport. What does that have to do with the passing game?
And are Redskins fans going to boo Terry Allen because he crashed his car going 133 mph a few months ago? No way. They might be thankful that their children don't ever hitch a ride in his car, but the guy's a thousand-yard rusher and the fans are thrilled to have him.
Think Sixers fans are going to quit on Iverson? Are you kidding? They might prefer not to hang around the condo with him, but he's one of the best young players in the NBA and he represents a chance that Sixers tickets might become a more worthwhile investment again one day. They wouldn't trade him for anything.
But let's not single out the fans of those three teams, because fans of all sports choose to ignore certain, ugly realities when they invest their time, money and interest.
All fans overlook the different, negative aspects that exist in every sport.
Fans of college basketball overlook the slimy world of cheating, payoffs and broken rules that exists just below the sport's shiny, televised surface. Fans of college football do the same.
Fans of pro football overlook the rampant use of steroids and illegal drugs.
Fans of baseball overlook the drinking and womanizing that is all but institutionalized in the national pastime.
Fans of golf overlook the fact that many top tournaments are played at segregated clubs.
Some fans care about some of those problems and other fans care about others, but the majority just want their teams and their games, thank you, no strings attached.
When a Bam Morris gets suspended, the immediate cry is scathing and the ramifications seemingly far-reaching, particularly on the field, where the Ravens will suffer.
But off the field? At the gate? In the stands? No, the Ravens won't suffer there.
In the hardened '90s, with fans accustomed to bad headlines and no longer capable of being surprised, that immediate, scathing cry will soon give way to the usual cheers.
Pub Date: 8/07/97
