Ray Lewis made some bold statements during an interview with ESPN's Sal Paolantonio yesterday about the potential effects that the NFL lockout may have on our country's society. The Ravens linebacker apparently thinks that crime in America will increase if professional football doesn't return:
"Do this research if we don't have a season -- watch how much evil, which we call crime, watch how much crime picks up, if you take away our game...there's nothing else to do"
"There's too many people that live through us, people live through us," he said. "Yeah, walk in the streets, the way I walk the streets, and I'm not talking about the people you see all the time."
You've got to be kidding me. There are so many presumptions in these declarations, I'm not sure where to begin. It's sort of curious, really, because Ray apparently thinks either too little of our society or too much of himself and his colleagues. The question is: which one is it?
To think that crime in our country has been reduced on Sunday's because NFL football has kept criminals occupied is almost laughable. Even if this were true, wouldn't crime increase immediately following the Super Bowl each year when the season ends? I haven't heard of any studies proving any of this to be accurate.
I would say, more than likely, Lewis' statements are just a PR move on behalf of, but not necessarily condoned by, the players in their continued fight with league owners. An attempt to scare people - I'm not sure who - into thinking the lockout must end quickly. Otherwise...lock your doors.
Yes, as NFL fans we admire and respect many of the players on the field but they aren't the center of our universe, the sun with which our Earth revolves around. Without them, our world doesn't simply cease to exist. Please give us a little more credit, Mr. Lewis; we can live without you. Perhaps we'd rather not, but I promise that without the NFL, we'd all find a way to cope.
After silly statements like this, however, it certainly makes it easier.