An Opinion Divided
This is where my internal conflict begins. The reasonable (as least I believe it to be) side of my personality argues that a locker room, in a professional setting, is no different than any other professional environment and therefore should be subject to reasonable and tolerable behavior. As soon as my reasonable side starts to argue its case, my athletic, competitive side does its best to shout down that argument by saying what happens in a locker room stays in a locker room and Johnathan Martin should have handled his business.
I’m well aware that the situation is much more complex than either of these differing opinions align to, but it’s this innate struggle between ideas that cause consternation in so many ways. Even within the NFL community, the opinions are varied from player to player (The Miami Dolphins and Everything That Will Never Make Sense), but a common theme among all players is a real discomfort with the general public getting a look behind the curtain; and I could be mistaken, but I believe that discomfort goes both ways.
Professional locker rooms are not sacred, they are a workplace like any other, and should be treated thusly. While, on its face this is true, it’s also equal parts not true. If you have not spent a copious amount of time in a locker room with teammates and coaches, then I would be hard pressed to explain it. Let’s just say that locker rooms are a protected and protective place in traditions that long predate any current professional sports, and I believe most athletes, professional or otherwise, would prefer to have it kept that way.
I am sure this topic has been done to death and by much better writers than myself, never the less I had the desire to drop my hat into the ring and register a couple of thoughts about it. I apologize for not coming up with a more satisfactory conclusion clarifying this murky situation, but maybe that too, is the point. Either way, both of my opinions will be following this story with great interest, hoping of course the side they have chosen wins!
For more on the Miami Dolphins predicament, check out Thomas Fox’s and James McGrath’s blog posts.
