When OJ Simpson dies, will he get the same consideration Michael Jackson is now receiving?
OJ Simpson, in his prime, was one of the best football players in the history of the sport; a rare combination of speed and power. He played for a horrible team, everyone knew he was their only option, and he still could not be stopped.
So, when OJ eventually passes, will a gushing mainstream media suddenly forget all of the bad things he did in life and emphasize his gridiron greatness? Will football stadiums fill with grieving fans eager to celebrate his on-field accomplishments and very willing to ignore his off-field troubles?
"Hey," you're saying outloud at your computer, prompting stares from friends and/or family, "OJ Simpson killed two people!"
Well, to quote every Michael Jackson apologist ever, "HE WAS ACQUITTED." Acquital is acquital, be it for child molestation or double murder.
So when OJ goes gently into that good night, I fully expect ESPN classic to play 24-hours of his greatest games, with interviews of old timers who remember exactly where they were when he broke 2,000 yards in a season. Any mention of his trials will be mere afterthoughts to his life as "The King of Football".
OJ Simpson, in his prime, was one of the best football players in the history of the sport; a rare combination of speed and power. He played for a horrible team, everyone knew he was their only option, and he still could not be stopped.
So, when OJ eventually passes, will a gushing mainstream media suddenly forget all of the bad things he did in life and emphasize his gridiron greatness? Will football stadiums fill with grieving fans eager to celebrate his on-field accomplishments and very willing to ignore his off-field troubles?
"Hey," you're saying outloud at your computer, prompting stares from friends and/or family, "OJ Simpson killed two people!"
Well, to quote every Michael Jackson apologist ever, "HE WAS ACQUITTED." Acquital is acquital, be it for child molestation or double murder.
So when OJ goes gently into that good night, I fully expect ESPN classic to play 24-hours of his greatest games, with interviews of old timers who remember exactly where they were when he broke 2,000 yards in a season. Any mention of his trials will be mere afterthoughts to his life as "The King of Football".
7 Comments:
Good point, but what separates the two is how they handled their notoriety. Michael vouched for his innocence - corroborated by pretty much everyone around him except the parents of the two "victims" - and tried to resurrect his career. O.J. acted like the guiltiest man who ever lived, mocking the events of that night and writing "If I Did It."
Also, O.J. beat Nicole when they were married and pushed it every chance he got long after her death, which is why he's now in the cooler. He's a heel and a buffoon, which is why he polls lower than Dick Cheney. Michael Jackson has always been popular. Mocked and derided at times, but ultimately loved.
I'll put it this way: my teenage sister knows Michael's music well, but she didn't know O.J. was a football player. That's the real difference, and why I think (and hope) O.J. won't get that same sendoff.
Let me make myself perfectly clear: I don't think OJ deserves a hero's sendoff. I think he's a piece of shit. I just think it's odd that Michael's demons have been posthumously exorcised. It makes me wonder if Phil Spector will only be remembered for the "Wall of Sound", which arguably is a greater contribution to music than MJ ever made...
I have a feeling that the "feel good" phase of his death is going to disappear quickly. The tabloids are going to have a field day in the next few weeks, and you know they don't put anyone on a pedestal. It's already happening to some degree (thank you Nancy Grace...).
I'm with you 100% on this one bro.
What Ubermilf said.
A key difference: The case against Jackson was largely a "he said, he said" kind of thing. They didn't have much to go on other than the testimony of a couple of kids.
In the OJ case, his attorney managed to convince a jury of 12 morons that DNA evidence placing OJ at the scene was planted by a racist police officer.
I don't forgive Jackson for the things he is alleged to have done. At the very least, he showed incredibly poor judgment about what constitutes an acceptable relationship between an adult man and a 10-year-old boy and, if he was innocent, should not have placed himself in a situation to be accused in the first place. Hoist by his own petard, one way or the other. But I do feel less certain of Jackson's guilt than OJ's.
If Jackson was guilty, he deserves to be roasting in a special hell right now.
The other thing, for me, is that I never saw OJ play football. I knew of his football career, but for the most part, to me, he was just the guy who played Nordberg in "The Naked Gun" movies. But I do remember when Michael Jackson was the biggest star in the world and when I listened to "Thriller" over and over again.
michael jackson died?
Post a Comment
<< Home