A-Rod, Bonds, Vick: Sports Stars' Reputations Sometimes Are Unfixable

The word "reputation" means, according to the dictionary, a favorable and publicly recognized name or standing for merit, achievement, reliability, and the estimation of which is person is held.

Michael Vick, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez. What do these men all have in common? 

Reputation...

But not by the above explanation. They have built the reputation that most athletes earn the very moment they are drafted and given millions of dollars.

Alex Rodriguez signed his second $200 million-plus contract, and then, this past winter, admitted to taking performance-enhancing steroids during his tenure with the Texas Rangers.

Now ESPN reports that he allegedly used steroids in high school. Is it possible for a professional baseball player to have a good season without the speculation of having added strength?

To eliminate the speculation, maybe Major League Baseball should test every athlete and suspend every one that tests positive for anything for a full season. 

Barry Bonds is the all-time leader in home runs, having finally broken Hank Aaron's legendary record. And his body and muscle mass has tripled since his Pittsburgh Pirate days.

Like A-Rod, Barry has yet to fail a test, but he faces the most criticism of perhaps any man in sport. How many times will Barry be tried for perjury without a conviction? I wonder how much of our tax payer's dollars are being spent on his case. 

Because of the reputation that he has today, Barry is unable to find a team willing sign him. Signing Bonds would come with a huge media circus that could potentially disrupt team chemistry, so everyone shies away. 

Michael Vick was at one time the highest-paid football player to ever sign an NFL contract; his was for a ridiculous 10 years and $130 million ($37 million guaranteed).

What a difference a few years makes. Vick is now set to be released this summer after completing a 23-month sentence for bankrolling a dogfighting operation. He'll then make $10 an hour at a construction company before applying for reinstatement into the league.

His potential return may lead to games being protested by animal rights groups. Vick has to prove that he has been rehabilitated, has paid his debt to society, and deserves a right to prove his case to the commissioner. 

The only problem with reputations is that you cannot go back and change them. Once they are worsened, the damage has been done. One can forgive but not forget, and when you're a boss that has invested millions of dollars in an athlete, you more than likely can't afford to forgive.

Once an athlete makes a mistake, it sticks to their legacy just as winning a championship, the Pennant, or the World Cup. Sprots stars, whether they agree to it or not, are in fact role models. For each of them, there are millions of children emulating their every move, bat swing, stutter-step, or jump shot.