Who is having the worst impact on sports?

[Gil Dobie]

The local newspaper is having this poll, so I thought I'd start one here. Barry Bonds, Michael Vick or Tim Donaghy

[Gil Dobie]

I voted for Donaghy. I would still let Vick play on may team after he pays the piper. I wouldn't want Bonds on my team. Donaghy fixed the outcome of games, therefore the winner in my book.

[Eyes of Old Main]

All three are asses, but Donaghy altered the integrity of the game across the board. Bonds may have only done that with his own stats. Vick's problems aren't on-the-field related.

IMHO: Donaghy > Bonds > Vick

[Cobblestone]

For me it was a toss up between Vick and Donaghy. What Donaghy is doing is hurting an entire league. Vick's troubles are off the field but being a starting QB he is in a leadership position and because of his actions and the punishment he will receive he has let his team down.

[89Hen]

I think Donaghy's actions are FAR worse because we know it impacted the game. However, I think Vick's actions will have more of an impact because football is that much bigger than basketball and more kids look up to Vick than an NBA ref. IOW, a true sports fan will see Donaghy as worse, but the casual fan will focus on Vick. xtwocentsx

[jstate83]

The local newspaper is having this poll, so I thought I'd start one here. Barry Bonds, Michael Vick or Tim Donaghy

Tim Donaghy hands down.xthumbsupx

Bonds is through with the HR race so that's done.
It's up to the voters on furture praise.

Vick has said yes to a plea deal.
He just F-ed himself up.

Tim Donaghy's saga has the potential to screw a whole Professional League.
Can't have one of your enforcer's that is in charge of fair play, "fixing" games. xnonox

[kardplayer]

Vick is the clear #3 here. What he did has nothing to do with the sport, it just has to do with him as an individual and the choices he makes/made.

The other guys impacted the outcome of games, and Donaghy is far worse because no one seemed to know.

Everyone knows - and has known for awhile - that there are steroids in baseball, its not like it was a secret.

[Marcus Garvey]

All three are asses, but Donaghy altered the integrity of the game across the board. Bonds may have only done that with his own stats. Vick's problems aren't on-the-field related.

IMHO: Donaghy > Bonds > Vick


Agreed. Bonds is an arse and has been hated since he was a skinny outfielder in Pittsbugh. Even if he'd broken Aaron's record without artificial enhancements, baseball fans would still be rooting for Ken Griffey Jr. (not likely) or A-Rod or anybody to break his record. BTW, if Griffey hadn't suffered so many injuries in Cincy, do you think he'd have had a shot at Aaron's record?

Vick... well, I hate to say this, but a lot of people just don't think what he did was all that big a deal. But those who do..... good lord are they vocal! :) Next time, he should just hire a hitman to kill his pregnant girlfriend. There won't be nearly as much outrage.

If (and it's a huge "if") the NBA had posessed any integrity before, it's gone now. He brought down a league.

[poly51]

Donaghy by far. He fixed games.

Bonds may have cheated. Baseball players have been cheating for years. Corked bats, spitballs, cut or sanded balls, drugs.

In twenty years Michael Vick will hardky be remembered.

The Black Sox scandal happened in 1919, 88 years ago and almost everybody knows about that.

[lizrdgizrd]

Donaghy has got to be the worst. Calls into question every game he reffed and every season he was in the league.

[lambertjr]

Donaghys issue has the potential to destroy the NBA.

[MR. CHICKEN]

xrotatehx xrotatehx xrotatehx xrotatehx xrotatehx xrotatehx xrotatehx xrotatehx

[CopperCat]

Tim Donaghy hands down.xthumbsupx

Bonds is through with the HR race so that's done.
It's up to the voters on furture praise.

Vick has said yes to a plea deal.
He just F-ed himself up.

Tim Donaghy's saga has the potential to screw a whole Professional League.
Can't have one of your enforcer's that is in charge of fair play, "fixing" games. xnonox

Why would you plead guilty if you knew you weren't guilty?xnonono2x

I was waiting for that too, btw.

If Vick took the deal and was innocent, then he is a moron. He held his own fate in his hands.

[ngineer]

I voted Donaghy---Bonds certainly has baggage, but he's not been shown to have done anything illegal..I agree he plays with a cloud over him, but all supposition, innuendo and credibility issues. Too complex when compared to other choices.

Vick is dispicable--however, his conduct has nothing to do with his sport. It was criminal conduct but not involving his role as an NFL QB. Again, dispicable conduct, but not related to football.

Donaghy, however, sold out his profession. Places a cloud over all of the other officials.

[spelunker64]

Vick>Bonds, Donaghy???? no idea who this is

[lizrdgizrd]

Vick>Bonds, Donaghy???? no idea who this is
Here's some headlines:

Google News Search for Donaghy (http://news.google.com/news?q=Donaghy&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=M2D&um=1&sa=X&oi=news_result&resnum=4&ct=title)

Here's the gist:


The FBI is investigating allegations veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy influenced the outcome of games he and associates bet on, multiple league sources and law enforcement officials said yesterday.

The investigation concerns whether Donaghy made calls affecting the point spread in contests he officiated and on which he wagered thousands of dollars the past two seasons. A federal grand jury in Brooklyn has been reviewing the case, and it could be concluded within the next few weeks.
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2007/07/21/fbi_investigating_nba_ref/

[NoCoDanny]

When you have refs fixing games you no longer have a sport, it becomes the WWF... or NASCAR.

The other two cases are individual players being idiots, damaging yes, but not fatal to the sport itself.

[BlueHen86]

I voted for Bonds. In the short term it may be Donaghy, but in the long run I think it's Bonds.

Baseball is a numbers driven sport, and home run records may be the most prestegious records in sports. Years ago the number 61 meant something. Thanks in part to Bonds these records are tainted. I don't blame Bonds entirely, McGwire, Sosa and MLB helped (maybe Bud Selig should be included in this poll).

The NBA and NFL will move on and in a few years Donaghy and Vick will be forgotten.
Vick didn't hurt the game itself, just the leagues image.
Donaghy certainly hurt the game, but he is one ref and he is gone now.

[Gil Dobie]

Baseball is a numbers driven sport, and home run records may be the most prestegious records in sports. Years ago the number 61 meant something.

61 is still the American League Record. xthumbsupx

The National Steroid League is 73 ;)

[TheValleyRaider]

Donaghy, and it shouldn't even be close.

Bonds, for all his faults and probable steroid usage, is a competitor. Cheating? Yeah, it happens, and sometimes they don't get caught. Tough breaks, but it is what it is. The referees are not competitors, they are meant to be the arbiters of the competition. Impartial judges don't have a stake in the competition. The whole point of sporting competition is that we don't really know who will come out on top. We have to be able to rely on the officials to keep competitors within the boundaries of the rules. They are, of course, not perfect, but with any hint of interference, the true unpredictability of sport gives way to a boring and pointless script.

[lizrdgizrd]

I voted for Bonds. In the short term it may be Donaghy, but in the long run I think it's Bonds.

Baseball is a numbers driven sport, and home run records may be the most prestegious records in sports. Years ago the number 61 meant something. Thanks in part to Bonds these records are tainted. I don't blame Bonds entirely, McGwire, Sosa and MLB helped (maybe Bud Selig should be included in this poll).

The NBA and NFL will move on and in a few years Donaghy and Vick will be forgotten.
Vick didn't hurt the game itself, just the leagues image.
Donaghy certainly hurt the game, but he is one ref and he is gone now.
The thing about Bonds' numbers is that they can be taken away if the baseball gods so decree. Donaghy's actions can't be taken back.

[BlueHen86]

The thing about Bonds' numbers is that they can be taken away if the baseball gods so decree. Donaghy's actions can't be taken back.
I don't the baseball god's will be taking anything back, and even if they do; the numbers are tarnished.
Also, we're talking baseball versus basketball. Alot more people follow baseball. Twenty years from now nobody will care that Donaghy shaved points in a Sixers - Celtics matchup, possibly affecting the number of ping pong balls they received in the lottery.

[spelunker64]

Here's some headlines:

Google News Search for Donaghy (http://news.google.com/news?q=Donaghy&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=M2D&um=1&sa=X&oi=news_result&resnum=4&ct=title)

Here's the gist:


http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2007/07/21/fbi_investigating_nba_ref/



Ahhh, the NBA, no wonder I had no idea...