I've watched the video a number of times now, and it's sickening to say the least. Yet it has that can't-look-away quality that compels motorists to slow down on the highway when passing a crash site. It would be bad enough if the owl was simply struck by the ball. Instead, a second player makes a conscious decision to give it a solid kick. It was essentially a complete reversal of the bystander effect (the more people around to witness something - the hurt owl, in this case - the less chance that someone acts).
I'm not going to strike down the owl kicker with my might sword of moral justice and comdemn him to the depths of sporting hell. Alright, he kicked a bird. Was it dumb? Yeah. Cruel? Yep. Something worth getting bent out of shape for? Maybe, but probably not. If I were an animal rights activist, maybe my passion for the issue would excede that of Matt Hasselbeck. (In case you were wondering, I'm neutral on Vick. He committed a crime, he did his time, end of story. Morals should not play a factor in whether you think he should be allowed to play in the NFL.)
More alarming, in my opinion, is the aftermath of the story. In response to the backlash for kicking his opponent's mascot, Luis Moreno, the egregious offender, said that he was only trying to get the bird off the field and did not know it was a team mascot. You know, because if it wasn't a team mascot it would have been fine. It's quite possible that Columbian soccer teams do not have PR people, but I could not even make up a worse response. It was almost as bad as a Jerry Manuel press conference or the Terrell Owens crying incident.
Even more alarming, however, is the precedent that this incident continues to set. Donte Stallworth receives a month in jail for murder. O.J. Simpson. Countless other examples. I do not intend to parade around on my white horse criticizing society for its inept ways. But for whatever reason, it seems that laws do not apply inside sports arenas. From a purely legal stance, Moreno kicked an animal and it died. Shouldn't there be some sort of punishment here besides the minimal fine ($650) and two game suspension? Like the whole legal system? It's South America, so I really don't know and I don't really care enough to harp on the issue (so sorry for the extended rant). I hate being the righteous voice of good, but this whole situation reeks of classic, "I'm an athlete, it's cool."
