Sociology

Since the 1994 trial and acquittal for the murder of his wife and her romantic partner, Orenthal James Simpson has become something of a basis for comparison for the modern athlete scandal. Though many conflicting opinions exist regarding Simpsons purported innocence, much has changed in the way we as a society view athletes and the treatment afforded them by their wealth and stature. It is this vaguely defined, yet clearly perceptible shift that focuses the lens of public scrutiny on those few athletes whose limelight of success is turned by scandal to to the harsh glare of an interrogators lamp.

In general terms, professional sports and its participants contribute little of real value to society as a whole. They are entertainers, and like all entertainers are paid according to the audience they draw and the merchandise they sell. However, it can be argued that, unlike typical entertainers of the stage and screen, athletes purchase their success with a greater level of commitment and self-sacrifice. It is this sacrifice that gains the athlete his success, and perhaps also gains him a certain degree of unwarranted public leniency when he or she falters morally or ethically.

O. J. Simpson, at the time of his arrest and subsequent acquittal, was an enormously successful athlete at the height of his career with many endorsement contracts and several acting credits. While by no means as wealthy or famous as his modern counterparts, allowing for a measure of  social inflation  shows the reality of Simpsons vast accomplishment. His sphere of influence extended farther, in relative terms, than any professional football player alive today. It is for precisely this reason that his trial and the attendant media attention have continued to sculpt what is and is not acceptable behavior for professional athletes.

Talented, erudite and charismatic, Simpsons success was as natural as his affinity for the game he played. Many football players possess these characteristics to a lesser or greater degree, but none before or since have managed to parlay them into such an undeniably impressive career as Simpsons. The phrase  negro neutral  is fitting if for no other reason than the most obvious explanation a persons color is their most noticeable feature unless and until they amass enough wealth, power or respect to overshadow it. In short, O. J. Simpsons natural charm and talent, as well as his harmless good-looks and surprising wit, were sufficient to make his race a non-issue to those not staunchly opposed to people of color. That he was African-American simply did not matter in light of his other qualities, which speaks volumes about the state of racial acceptance and equality even as recently as the beginning of the 1990s. However, the speed at which his race became an issue, following his arrest and indictment, was astonishing.

Simpsons murder trial was a drama of Elizabethan proportions. Every television-equipped household in America possessed at least a vague understanding of his supposed deeds, while others still knew the attorneys and jurors by sight and name. The attendant stir quite literally transformed Court TV into the cable television juggernaut it is today, and redefined what it means for a celebrity to go on trial. That jury deliberations took longer than five minutes, considering the ubiquity of Simpsons perceived guilt, is a testament to the fortitude of the American justice system. The verdict itself, considering the evidence both real and circumstantial, was a confirmation to many that innocence depends not on the truth, but perhaps on the bank account of the accused.

While there remain countless unanswered questions regarding the charges of which Simpson was acquitted, many questions have been answered which were indeed never voiced. Certain unlovely truths were unmasked during the trial, not least of which is that of Americas seemingly innate hero-worship. Our professional athletes are entertainers whose failings are held to a lower standard that those of the common man, it seems. And though O. J. Simpson walked away a free man, he serves as a reminder that greatness on the field does not necessarily define greatness off of it.