The American Spectator

p>More than one can say for basketball or football. br> — Paul Roth /p> p> Two sports Mr. Beston does not mention as having a problem with thugs are…NASCAR and ATP tennis. Break a rule, immediate fine, lose of points and in the case of some younger drivers using substances that might impair their driving skills, you don’t drive for a year or two. Maybe the NASCAR model needs to be looked at as a model of how to deal with pro athletes. Look at ATP tennis. The guy beating Roger Federer lately is just back from a 15 month suspension for steroid use. If he gets caught again, he’s gone. Their sanctioning bodies do not tolerate drugs or thugs. They should be the model to follow. Otherwise, the tattooed dudes of the NBA and NFL might just go by the wayside. Like the author, I have quit watching NBA thugs and I don’t buy NFL tickets for the Chargers anymore. But I watch tennis and I watch NASCAR. And I attend as many of those events as I can. Thanks for reading this. br> — Bill Coulter /p> p> Thanks for a great column. I couldn’t agree more. I’m a former NFL fan, never watched 1 game this past season. I can’t stomach the show-boating and gang culture associated with the game. I have always been a hockey fan and will continue to follow that until the day comes (hopefully not) when the NHL gets sucked into our cultural sewer. If and when that day comes, maybe hockey will start getting some coverage on the sports networks, for now it’s almost entirely ignored, especially at the college level. It’s a great game and I’d argue that its players have a far wider range of talent than the NBA or NFL players. To answer the question at the end of your column, I truly believe the mainstream will start to reject the NFL and NBA. br> — Jeff Bruns br> West Salem, Wisconsin /p>

I enjoyed your article, at least as much as anyone can enjoy reading about the thugs in pro sports. You are not alone in your revulsion for, and uninterest in, pro sports. As a kid I grew up watching sports on TV with my dad. If the sound was off, it meant Howard Cosell had finally become too annoying for my dad.

p>I think the turning point was the NFL players’ strike, and it was cemented by Dennis Rodman. This year when people started talking about the Super Bowl, I had to ask who was playing. I don’t watch anything, and I just don’t care. I can’t in good conscience have any of my money go toward supporting the NFL or the NBA, which to me are little more than criminal enterprises.