The stink of the summer of 2014 is still fresh on the upper lips of all Americans. If we, for one second, ignore all the horrible things that happened outside of sports (ISIS, Ferguson, Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, etc), then this summer still sucked. The sports world saw blatant racism, domestic violence, child abuse, cover-ups, inflammatory and irresponsible media commentary, and severe abuses of power from those who choose to hold onto it so dearly.
This summer, the curtain was peeled back and the hog was flipped over. What we saw from our beloved athletes and sports executives was ugly. It’s not surprising to learn that those who dominate sports headlines—our stars—have varying tastes in morality and questionable motives (the world can’t be and won’t be a progressive utopia held together by the watchmen of the liberal media), but to hear and read about the stunts pulled by Ray Rice, Roger Goodell, Adrian Peterson, Danny Ferry, and Sepp Blatter was difficult.
Sports are supposed to be a vacation from the terrible realities of actual human existence. It’s a medium of entertainment that’s a fantasy construct played out by real life actors. But when the 6 p.m. SportsCenter broadcast becomes just as fucking depressing as the 11 p.m. news, sports loses its charm. We shouldn’t feel slimy or disappointed in myself for watching an NFL game. We shouldn’t have to wonder whether or not we're giving our money to a racist when we buy an NBA ticket. We shouldn’t have to worry about our favorite athletes biting each other. That shit isn’t fun, but what’s behind the curtain never is. See which sports characters played The Wizard over these past four months in The Worst People in Sports This Summer.