Another Wrong Prediction

In an interview that aired over the weekend, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis spoke grimly about all the bad things that will happen if the NFL lockout continues into the fall and eventually causes the cancellation of games or, God forbid, the entire NFL season. And the thing is, Ray wasn't just talking about bad tidings for the league or even the individual players, he meant the entire United States. Lewis predicted that crime rates would skyrocket and there would be far more arrests and evil in the world. When asked why no football on Sundays would mean more crime, Lewis looked at the interview and simply said, "Because there is nothing else to do."

To me this says a lot more about Ray Lewis, who, if you have never seen him interviewed before, definitely has some evangelical preacher in him. I understand that Lewis has lived, breathed and bled football since he was a kid, but this sounds like he has begun to take himself and the game far too seriously. Just because sports fans might not be able to go out and watch people beat the hell out of each other for three hours on 17 Sundays in the fall it doesn't mean the country is about to turn into some post-apocalyptic society. The world appears to survive the normal, regularly-scheduled football off-season months just fine. We love football, everyone knows that, but it doesn't make the world turn.

The way I see it, criminals are criminals, no matter what they have for viewing options on Sunday afternoons. This logic is the same reason I get so mad at the people who think rap lyrics or heavy metal make someone act out; violent people are going to be violent whether they are listen to Beethoven or Slayer. I have never put serious planning into committing a crime and I highly doubt not being able to see the Jaguars play the Lions is going to cause me to change my thinking. Conversely, if someone wants to break into a house they aren't going to be dissuaded just because it's the week the Raiders play the Broncos. If he honestly thinks that football is all that stands between us and chaos, perhaps Ray Lewis should take a good, hard look the circle of friends he runs with.

Also, I hate to break this to Mr. Lewis, but sports fans are an adaptable bunch. We have to be - teams and players move at the drop of a hat. Trade my favorite player? Eh, I'll just adopt another guy I don't really know as my new favorite guy. Lockout professional football? Hey, I'll still have college football to get my fix with. Some people are concerned with how Fantasy Football might be affected and what this could do to that multi-million dollar industry. People, you can play fantasy GOLF. Guys that determined can make anything into fantasy sports. You don't think there is a guy in a darkened room right now, trying to figure a way to turn college football into a viable fantasy option? We'll find a way to make it work.

I also take exception to Lewis's claim that there is "nothing else" to do on Sundays in the fall. I for one would probably get a lot more done if I have a Sunday free. There is always some home improvement project I have been putting off for far too long. Actually, I would be more active because fall is the best time for golf here in New England. And the people who spend time at work betting in football pools or adjusting their fantasy rosters could actually get some work done. I'm not saying I would rather spend my Sundays in a museum, but I am saying that there was a time before we all became football-crazy and we managed to make it through to the other side.

So, no, Ray Lewis, we're not going to see a steep rise in crime if the player and owners can't find a way to divide up $9 billion in profits. We're not going to be happy about it and we'd much rather be able to watch football, but just because billionaires are fighting with millionaires it doesn't mean the people caught in the middle are going to take it out on society. Maybe Lewis won't know what to do with himself, but the rest of us will manage. And if Lewis can't find something to do, I suggest taking up a new hobby. Maybe he can become an amateur meteorologist, because those guys are usually wrong in their predictions as well.