Professional athletes are often under a microscope, with fans and critics watching and documenting their every move. While most athletes can handle the criticism, there are always the athletes who cannot take the heat from the fans and media.
Exhibit A: Chicago Cubs estranged outfielder, Milton Bradley. Bradley was signed this offseason in hopes of adding a strong left-handed bat to the heavily right-handed lineup. Jim Hendry hoped that he would be the answer to their prayers, but instead, Bradley often left Hendry praying for a miracle.
Instead of the 22 home runs, 77 runs batted in, and a .321 batting average he had in 126 games in 2008 for the Texas Rangers, Bradley had 12 home runs, 40 runs batted in, and a .257 batting average in 124 games this year for the Chicago Cubs. Yet this year, Bradley also had trouble getting on base, driving in runs, and remembering how many outs were left in the inning.
So looking at Bradley’s numbers from last year, there was no reason that Hendry should not have wanted him. However, he clearly overlooked the fact that Bradley has been on five different teams in the past four seasons and that he has struggled with the pressure that big cities bring to athletes. Another negative is that Bradley has played more than 100 games only four times since his debut in 2000.
Bradley often complained about the fans booing him and never established a good relationship with the media. He did not even last the whole season this year, being suspended for the seventh time in his ten year career, for the final two weeks of the season. The breaking point was when Bradley made comments criticizing Chicago, saying it was a negative place to play, being the main reason why the Cubs have not won in over 100 years.
What makes this interesting is that multiple players, such as Carlos Zambrano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez, have been playing for the Cubs for multiple years and have said nothing about Chicago being a negative place to play. In fact, in response to Bradley’s comments, most current Cubs have said they have some spent some of the best years of their career in Chicago.
So perhaps the problem here is that Bradley is just blaming all his own offensive problems on the fans. For the money that Bradley is being paid, $30 million over three years, he should be focusing more on being nicer to the fans and the media, as well as producing on the field. If Bradley was an offensive threat on the field, his off field problems would most likely not affect the way he is viewed.
Professional athletes get paid to play a game, so they are expected to be good at that game. If they do not play up to their worth, then they should not be complaining about how the fans treat them. Especially here in the Chicago area, if an athlete shows up and performs every day, the fans rarely complain. So Bradley and other inconsiderate athletes should take the hint: keep your mouth shut and let your skills do the talking.
Elizabeth Maluta, Sports Editor
