Our Case to Free Michael Vick
When we charted this quest to “free” Michael Vick, certainly there were profound goals of social change, but the primary objective was clear: to sell t-shirts. The phrasing has been used countless times to draw awareness to the imprisonment of a celebrity or, more importantly, a friend or family member. It is here that our roads diverge. In 2011, many have scoffed at our call to “Free Mike.” People have asked us if Vick was back in jail, or quickly stated that he has already been free for two years.
Yes, Michael Vick was released from Leavenworth Federal Prison in July of 2009 and yes, he did sign a contract for one hundred million dollars to play professional football this season. Vick is still one of the most hated, most vilified and most restricted athletes of all-time, facts that are unlikely to change any time soon. We have decided to change our approach from the marketing of a product to the creation of a full-scale movement to free Mike.
Vick’s past transgressions will never be forgiven in this dehumanized American society that has catapulted dogs to the status of “man’s best friend.” Technology has distanced us immeasurably; should not man’s best friend be…man?
These technological advances have considerably impacted the Michael Vick saga. Hiding behind the internet’s firewall, people are enabled to spout ruthless, hateful vitriol at will fearless of judgment or retribution. Some of the anti-Vick comments and websites that we have come across are absolutely absurd. The spread of such hate is regressive to our humanity; Vick’s detractors anoint themselves as jurors of morality, not once pausing to reflect internally.
What makes dogfighting worse than murdering tens of millions of animals each year for our consumption? Perhaps it is because we love dogs instead of eat them. We are supposed to “love thy brother,” yet Americans have propped up a multi-billion dollar football industry that thrives off of the destruction of fellow human beings. Brain trauma awareness has risen dramatically in recent years, but nothing has really changed. Every hit on the football field can potentially shave years off a man’s of life. We accept this devil’s bargain – the players do as well- all for the love of the game.
In search of a public redemption that will most likely elude him forever, Michael Vick renewed this compact with the NFL. However, the Philadelphia Eagles have constricted Mike in the pocket and this forced change has caused myriad injuries. If the Eagles want to soar, they must free Vick.
The concept of “Free Mike” has evolved into a full-scale attempt to create chaos in the sports-industrial complex. Using Michael Vick as the most striking example of an athlete consistently oppressed by this system, we encourage you to examine what is truly going on in sports and how it is reflecting on your life.
We must stop consuming mindlessly and start analyzing critically because victory always comes at a considerable cost.
Join the movement.
Yes, Michael Vick was released from Leavenworth Federal Prison in July of 2009 and yes, he did sign a contract for one hundred million dollars to play professional football this season. Vick is still one of the most hated, most vilified and most restricted athletes of all-time, facts that are unlikely to change any time soon. We have decided to change our approach from the marketing of a product to the creation of a full-scale movement to free Mike.
Vick’s past transgressions will never be forgiven in this dehumanized American society that has catapulted dogs to the status of “man’s best friend.” Technology has distanced us immeasurably; should not man’s best friend be…man?
These technological advances have considerably impacted the Michael Vick saga. Hiding behind the internet’s firewall, people are enabled to spout ruthless, hateful vitriol at will fearless of judgment or retribution. Some of the anti-Vick comments and websites that we have come across are absolutely absurd. The spread of such hate is regressive to our humanity; Vick’s detractors anoint themselves as jurors of morality, not once pausing to reflect internally.
What makes dogfighting worse than murdering tens of millions of animals each year for our consumption? Perhaps it is because we love dogs instead of eat them. We are supposed to “love thy brother,” yet Americans have propped up a multi-billion dollar football industry that thrives off of the destruction of fellow human beings. Brain trauma awareness has risen dramatically in recent years, but nothing has really changed. Every hit on the football field can potentially shave years off a man’s of life. We accept this devil’s bargain – the players do as well- all for the love of the game.
In search of a public redemption that will most likely elude him forever, Michael Vick renewed this compact with the NFL. However, the Philadelphia Eagles have constricted Mike in the pocket and this forced change has caused myriad injuries. If the Eagles want to soar, they must free Vick.
The concept of “Free Mike” has evolved into a full-scale attempt to create chaos in the sports-industrial complex. Using Michael Vick as the most striking example of an athlete consistently oppressed by this system, we encourage you to examine what is truly going on in sports and how it is reflecting on your life.
We must stop consuming mindlessly and start analyzing critically because victory always comes at a considerable cost.
Join the movement.
By Bryan Bracey, Sport Management Lecturer at UMass Amherst 
