Society took another beating in 2007 courtesy of the sports world

By A.J. RUSSO, Ph.D.
As published Jan. 16, 2008

Sports fans were treated to a wide variety of reality checks in 2007. Some sports personalities, events and conquests, in and out of the sports arena, left many to ponder their effects on humanity. Some took the games to a higher level where, unfortunately, this year, most lowered the bar to unimaginable lows.

With that said, here are my 10 most important sports stories of 2007, ranked according to affect on society.

10. David stuns Goliath

Appalachian State doesn't even play in the top tier of college football, yet Michigan (ranked in the top 5 at the time) lost to them.

See - dreams can come true.

9. Gators Got’em

It was a good year to be a Gator. Florida won national championships in football and men's basketball, the first time that's been done by the same school in the same year.

8. Marion Meltdown

America's most famed female track and field athlete had a precipitous fall from grace in 2007. Marion Jones pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators and admitted to using steroids. She was stripped of the record five medals she won in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Can we really trust any athlete again?

7. Bent on Beckham

David Beckham's transfer to the L.A. Galaxy got people in the United States talking about soccer. The hobbled star was injured for much of his first season, but he put his sport back into the consciousness of the American public.

6. Spy Gate

Commissioner Roger Goodell fined New England Patriot Coach Bill Belichick $500,000 (the biggest fine ever for an NFL coach), and the team $250,000, after determining New England violated league rules by videotaping defensive signals from Jets coaches in the teams' regular-season opener. Besides the fine, the Patriots also will have to forfeit either a first-round draft choice or second- and third-round picks in the 2008 draft.

Proving once again that winning is everything.

5. African-American Pride

Tony Dungy became the first African-American head coach to capture the NFL's biggest trophy, when his Colts beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

4. Round Ball Betting

NBA official Tim Donaghy bet on basketball games for two seasons, including ones in which he officiated. David Stern acknowledged on Oct. 25 that more than half of the 56 NBA referees violated policies about casino gambling.

And we thought Pete Rose was a bad boy.

3. Mitchell’s Meddling

Sports icons, including former Red Sox stars Roger Clemens and Mo Vaughn, allegedly cheated, while owners and union bosses looked the other way, according to the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

And all this time we thought Clemens was just an energizer bunny (going and going).

2. Sick Vick

Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick began a 23-month jail sentence after a conviction on dogfighting charges. It also put his former team into, what seems to be, a long tailspin out.

1. Blemished Bonds

Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's home run record by hitting No. 756 on Aug. 7. After the season, Bonds was indicted on four counts of perjury and one for obstruction of justice for his involvement with performance-enhancing drugs. Many feel his record is now tainted.

[A.J. Russo received his BS at Hobart College and Masters and Ph.D. at Roswell Park Memorial Institute. He is a professor at Mount Saint Mary's College in Emmitsburg and the author of 10 novels and more than 30 scientific papers. He is the former head men's lacrosse coach at RIT and Mount Saint Mary's College. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Mount Saint Mary's College or the Mt. Airy Messenger.

Russo's novel, The Healer, published by Port Town Publishing, has been critically acclaimed. His novel, the Fragile Egg was re-released in 2006 and his novel, New Lodge Affair released in August 2007. All are available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Visit A.J. Russo’s Podcast, Novels in Progress, where you can listen to the first five chapters of his newest novel, Recall. New chapters will be posted each week. web.mac.com/ajrusso1.]