The top story in the sports world over the past two days has been suspension of Miami Dolphins Guard Ricky Incognito after alleged extreme hazing of teammate Jonathan Martin. Its hard to weigh in on this story without all the facts (my knowledge comes from brief discussions I hear on the radio to and from work) but it is believed that Incognito has verbally abused Martin including using racial slurs and physical threats against his family. I think we can all agree that if true this goes beyond what has been known as normal rookie hazing and Incognito deserves his suspension which will surely lead to him being cut. Martin voluntarily left the team as a result of Incognitos actions and it is unclear if he will return. With our limited knowledge do you think Martin was right to leave the team and if he returns will his teammates accept him back?
Some of the discussion Ive heard has been about what has been accepted as rookie hazing over the years. Ive heard former players mention that theyve had to carry the veterans bags through the airport, pick up their dry cleaning, bring donuts for the entire team during practice and pick up the tab after an expensive team dinner which could reach thousands of dollars. This all seem pretty harmless, although picking up a dinner bill for several thousand dollars seems like a bit much. Do you think rookie hazing has a place in the locker room in this day and age? Does it actually build team camaraderie or could it cause resentment among teammates? Should a locker room be treated like any other place of business in this country or do you believe normal HR rules dont need to be enforced in sports? I dont really find anything wrong with the harmless examples listed above but at the same time it does seem kind of silly. Maybe by the time players reach the pros they should act like adults and leave the childish games behind them.
Some of the discussion Ive heard has been about what has been accepted as rookie hazing over the years. Ive heard former players mention that theyve had to carry the veterans bags through the airport, pick up their dry cleaning, bring donuts for the entire team during practice and pick up the tab after an expensive team dinner which could reach thousands of dollars. This all seem pretty harmless, although picking up a dinner bill for several thousand dollars seems like a bit much. Do you think rookie hazing has a place in the locker room in this day and age? Does it actually build team camaraderie or could it cause resentment among teammates? Should a locker room be treated like any other place of business in this country or do you believe normal HR rules dont need to be enforced in sports? I dont really find anything wrong with the harmless examples listed above but at the same time it does seem kind of silly. Maybe by the time players reach the pros they should act like adults and leave the childish games behind them.