Michael Vick

Of all the lousy, shameful sports stories to emerge this summer, I've been following the Michael Vick story the closest. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it is because of a long personal fascination with black athletes (beginning with Michael Jordan) and - at the same time - a sadness and revulsion about the personal moments of utter failure: Jordan's long-recorded gambling addiction and infidelity, Kobe Bryant's sexual assault, Barry Bond's immense and intolerable ego. Maybe it's just the lure of an "Achilles" tale, of a demi-god who seemed to have it all but for the minor fault that brought him down.

Maybe you've read some of the news stories about what Michael Vick is accused of: running and funding a dog fighting scheme, which includes the accusation of viciously killing pit bulls if they did not perform well in practices or fights. Perhaps you've seen the loud cries of PETA and other concerned advocacy groups on television. I tried to remain as objective as possible and chose to read the 18 page indictment. There is no way around it; if the events suggested are true, then Vick has some reckoning (even if that doesn't occur through a judge and jury).

While acknowledging the potential horrors committed, I also couldn't escape an underlying irony: the fact that there would be such outrage and shock over an star football player engaged in brutal acts given that the very culture of professional football is brutal and violent. I also couldn't believe there wasn't anything written about how much race plays into this story ... until I read the following story at ESPN.com. Hopefully, you'll find this story worth your time. I think it's an important voice in this whole Vick drama:

A History of Mistrust by Wright Thompson

Wes