Showing posts with label Ben Roethlisberger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Roethlisberger. Show all posts
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Public Consciousness: an Alternate Reality
For an organization known for its consistency, the Steelers sure do find themselves in the center of controversy quite often these days. The most recent case, of course, is James Harrison speaking out on a number of topics in an interview with Men's Journal.
Maybe it is because of their place in the league, that their unmatched record of success naturally causes us to pay attention when their players -- their stars -- wind up in the news, and that may be a part of it. But I think there is something more to it, and in addition to making headlines on the field, the quartet of Harrison, Ben Roethlisberger, Rashard Mendenhall and Hines Ward has managed to take center stage on just about every pressing social issue over the past year. Each individual case has been a story in its own right, a display of how not to do something even if the intent was "right." What's resulted is a polarizing (can something be considered polarizing if there is a near-unanymous feeling that these players are "wrong?") mix of big names doing public things that beg big questions about how athletes -- and football players in particular -- should act.
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