Sport-Blog.com

Most of the professional sports stories that we read or hear about these days are decidedly negative. We have the whole steroid fiasco in Major League Baseball, along with the Rafael Palmeiro suspension, the booing, and his subsequent release from the team with 9 or 10 games left to play in the season. In basketball, we had the whole Pistons-Pacers fracas with the fans and also the Kobe Bryant saga. In football, we have the Terrell Owens-Donovan McNabb feud, plus the Owens contract dispute and head coaches being reprimanded for violating policy by scalping their Super Bowl tickets. In hockey, we had the lockout that resulted in an entire season being lost. It's enough to make any sports fan hang his or her head in shame.

But then there are some good stories, too. For example, I remember how happy I was to hear that USC quarterback Matt Leinart decided to forego guaranteed millions in salary to stay in college to finish his senior year. It may sound silly, but that sort of thing makes me feel proud to be a fan. Another thing that makes me proud to be a fan is when professional athletes show respect to their parents.

I think that a majority of athletes who have made it to the professional ranks of their chosen sports had to have a pretty solid support system as they were growing up, which means their parents probably made a lot of sacrifices. I played a lot of sports when I was younger, and though I wasn't very talented at all, my parents still drove me to practices and games, bought me new equipment when needed, paid my entry fees, and showed up to watch me play. I'm sure that parents of athletes who show professional potential have to do those things times 100 for their kids. That's why it's only fitting that these parents get some sort of tribute when the kids actually do make it to the big leagues.

About 10 days ago, I read an article about Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens. His mother passed away from complications from emphysema, and Clemens was devastated, as you would expect. He pitched that day, as scheduled, and won. He did it for his mom because he knew she would have wanted him to play. His mom had always been a part of Clemens' career and watched many games in person before it become too difficult to do so. As Clemens spoke to reporters after the game, he was visibly grief-stricken and he didn't even try to hold back his tears. That was as clear a sign of love and respect as anything.

Professional sports needs to highlight more athletes like Roger Clemens, who openly show how important their parents are. Tiger Woods is like this. So are LeBron James and Donovan McNabb. I know there are many others out there as well. Personally, I would much rather read positive stories than the negative stuff that we are constantly subjected to. And I'll bet there are plenty of other fans who feel the same way.