When a bad event occurs, the media plays it up more than necessary. In the case of professional athletes this is always true and the Michael Vick case is just the latest example.

The Vick story has consistently been a top story on SportsCenter for weeks taking attention away from the start of the NFL season and several compelling pennant races in baseball.

On Monday, when Vick entered his guilty plea, the ESPN network overplayed their already overblown coverage of this case. Every single program on the network from “Pardon the Interruption” to “Outside the Lines” to “Around the Horn” was obsessed with the case.

All we really learned is that Vick only admitted his guilt on certain charges and that his sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 10. A sentencing date that is nearly three months away means we have three more months of constant updates on Vick and how he is trying to put his life back together.

Vick is a man who lied, let his teammates down and let his fans down. The media spotlight shouldn’t still be on such a person. The media has succeeded in making Vick a prime example of a man who had it all, but lost everything over actions that are inhumane, cruel and just plain stupid.

The Vick story isn’t the first time the media has focused too much on the negative actions of athletes. When the Kobe Bryant case occurred, the case received the same overblown media coverage as the Vick case.

The media over-sensationalizes these stories and misses out on other good stories.

For example, Rick Ankiel, a former pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, has made a tremendous comeback to the major leagues as an outfielder after overcoming control problems that made him give up pitching. Yet, this story is not mentioned much.

Or it would be refreshing to hear about athletes who give back to their community and try to make a positive difference, instead of turning SportsCenter into a special reality episode of “Law and Order.”

One story about an athlete making a positive difference involves Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer. In 2000, he started a camp for children who lost a loved one called Camp Erin. This Washington based camp allows for children ages 6 to 17, learn to cope with loss by sharing stories and participating in activities like art therapy and nature walks.

I only heard about this through the Phillies Web site, but this is a story about an athlete trying to make a positive difference by giving young people a place where they can share experiences with others who have experienced similar situations.

However, when the Vick case is monopolizing the air waves for weeks at a time, it overshadows all the good athletes do and leads to the negative perception that athletes get, even though this is only one person.

Whether it is the steroid scandal in baseball, a referee fixing games or an athlete in the prime of his athletic career sent to prison, the negative always seems to get far more attention than the positive.

Columnist: RJ Kraft - 08/29/07