Michael Vick was the best thing that could have happened to dog fighting

There is absolutely no denying that the dog fighting operation in which Vick partook was horrible, unimaginable, and sickening. The thing is, animal fighting has been around for centuries, and dog fighting, and specifically pit bull fighting, has been around and gaining popularity for decades. For as much as we have heard about what Vick has done, there are multitudes of operations out there, operating right this very minute, that are doing much worse and on a much larger scale. And they have been around for years. Up until the Vick story broke, not many people, aside from those of us that were actively immersed in the pit bull and animal rescue communities, were even aware that it was happening.

So the story of Michael Vick broke, and the public was shocked, outraged and disgusted. Immediately, Michael Vick became the face of dog fighting. Even though he was not the first, will not be the last, and isn’t nearly the worst. The only distinction in the Vick case? We all collectively knew who he was. And that was his downfall. And yes, we can make the distinction that he should know better because “he’s a professional athlete and our children look up to professional athletes as role models”. But come on, our “role models” are driving drunk and killing people, and our “role models” are shooting up with steroids, and our “role models” are in the spotlight for extra-marital affairs. Perhaps its time we redefine who we look to as a role model all together because, in my opinion, the professional athlete fell from grace as a “role model” a long time ago. I counter with the argument, that in the shock of finding out the truth of what has been happening to these dogs for years, the outraged public in their reactionary disgust wanted that one person to blame and to be angry at, and of course, with his face all over the news, Michael Vick became that person.

Don’t misunderstand me, I think Michael Vick is a sick person and capable of horrendous things. But I am taking away the fact that he is a public figure and categorizing him with all of the other dog fighters that I find just as despicable. No more and no less. And quite frankly, if it weren’t for Michael Vick being exposed for what he did, the world of dog fighting would most likely be the under-exposed issue that it was before Vick came on the scene. Michael Vick did for dog fighting what Oprah Winfrey did for Puppy Mills. So thank you Michael Vick; you may have actually helped the greater good.