Michael Vick, former star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, is a guilty man, legally and morally. However his actions are defended, there is no legitimate excuse for what he did in the dogfighting realm.

Devoted fans may or may not still hold a place for him in their hearts and minds, but such an occurrence brings to mind the moral standards held by a lot of people in this country. Other people were involved in the ring of dogfighting and this point provides a harsh reality about the type of entertainment that people pursue all across the country.

Even outside the country, there are plenty of other brutal sports that people support and enjoy every day. Bullfighting in Spain is a tremendously popular sport in which a bull is progressively stabbed to death by several people for the enjoyment of hundreds of thousands of fans. Cock fights in countries like Puerto Rico or Mexico occur every day. Roosters are bred from the day they hatch to become fighting roosters. What is perceived as cruel and sadistic by many in this country brings to mind the many varying standards that affect this case.

Violence and aggression such as dog fighting from people like Vick, rapper DMX or other syndicate owners, is, in their defense, somewhat representative of the kinds of lives these people had growing up. The world of professional football and modern rap is (no pun intended) a "dog-eat-dog" world, where psychological and physical dominance is the ultimate goal for both. Not to say that every football player and rapper is bound to start a dogfighting syndicate, but such a career may be just one of many things fueling the motivation to host dogfights. However, this fact does not forgive Vick, DMX or others for their crimes.

Regardless of the reason for holding events like dogfighting, the principle still stands the same that it is immoral and wrong to do so. The different perceptions of the issue make it difficult to establish a definite moral standard. There is no doubt that such actions are fueled by an individual's cutthroat and aggressive passions. But there are other ways to vent off destructive and aggressive energy, making whether one wishes to contain or exploit this energy a truly crucial decision.