One probable difference between 1919 and now, however, is that the players would in all likelihood not have been seen by the general public as having betrayed the country: We are too accustomed by this point of bad behavior on the part of athletes to believe that they are better than the rest of us or even as good as the rest of us. People now rally to the defence of athletes like Kobe Bryant or former athletes like O.J. Simpson arguing that violent crime is okay so long as the playerÂ’s stats are good. Maybe this is a natural consequence of 1919: We have lowered our expectations so much that we are willing to accept any behavior by athletes.
