Here is a short list of three items from this past week that reveal something of the depth of the brokenness of sports – all 
sports, all levels.
Teen pleads guilty in referee’s death
A 17-year-old soccer player in Utah pleaded guilty Monday to homicide by assault in the death of referee Ricardo Portillo, an official said.
A judge ordered the teenager, who has not been named publicly, to keep a picture of Portillo in his cell phone for the remainder of his time in juvenile jail.
The judge recommended a sentence of three years, said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. (For the rest of the story, click here.)
A-Rod among 13 suspended by MLB
Major League Baseball came down heavy Monday on the players it found to have been involved with the South Florida anti-aging clinic Biogenesis, suspending Alex Rodriguez through the end of the 2014 season and banning 12 others for 50 games, including three All-Stars: Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers, Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres and Jhonny
Peralta of the Detroit Tigers. (For more on the story, click here.)
Second alleged jailhouse Aaron Hernandez letter goes public
The story I want to point to here is not the tragedy of Aaron Hernandez but our occupation with him, illustrative of our idolization of athletes, and the people who profit from that interest.
Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been in jail for almost a month and a half now and in that time, he’s apparently picked up new hobby: letter writing. For the second time in less than a week, a letter that Hernandez wrote in jail has gone public……Hernandez letters are turning into a big business. TMZ bought the first letter from a Boston Sporting Goods company for $18,000. The sporting goods company obtained the letter from Hernandez’s pen pal ‘Karl’ for an undisclosed amount. (click here for more)
