Different Reactions to Maas and Vick

I just read a report at ESPN.com that former Kansas City Chiefs' player and current Fox announcer, Bill Maas, was arrested, as a .22 caliber gun, marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy were all found in his vehicle.

I then read the comments by people to the article. There was a debate on what played the larger factor in the amount of attention a story like this received and in the public's reaction, the person's ethnicity or how well-known the individual is.

After contemplating some, I think both parties have a point. When it comes to the amount of attention a story receives, I definitely feel that the status of the individual involved in the story plays a very large factor. I don't think that the ethnicity of that individual plays a factor. Michael Irvin, Michael Vick, Peyton Manning, and Larry Bird would all receive a great deal of attention by the media if there was a story involving them in a criminal activity. Bill Maas is not as well known by the public, so his story will not receive that same attention. However, after reading commentary regarding the Michael Vick situation (in which he has not been indicted and feds' claim he probably won't be indicted) and the Bill Maas predicament (where a gun, marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy were all found in his car), the people's reactions were mightily different.

I can't recall how many negative statements were made about Vick, even following the recent news that he probably won't be indicted by the feds. He has not been indicted, charged, or convicted of anything, but the majority of the statements were calling for suspensions, jail time, fines, permanent withdrawal from the NFL, torture, etc. There were a few statements which claimed he was innocent until proven guilty, but those comments were few and far between. The majority of people were rugged, harsh, and basically asking for Vick's head on a stick. In regard to Maas, where a gun and three different types of illegal drugs were found in the car he was driving, the comments were much less harsh. They were sillier, stated in more of a joking-type manner. A couple people claimed he should spend time in jail and receive the same punishment as an average Joe who was caught in a similar situation. But, for the most part, people ripped on his announcing and joked about the situation. Why do I bring this up? Michael Vick is an African-American and Bill Maas is an Anglo-American. While I do agree that the media has presented these stories in a different fashion due to their status as public figures, but unfortunately, I believe that the public's reactions to the cases reflect the racism that is still very much alive in this country today.