If there is one thing that I have learned about the people in this country it's that we are willing to give everyone a second chance...as long as the person takes the following steps: get arrested, hit rock bottom, stay out of trouble for a undetermined amount of time, resurface as a bit of a crazy nut job and slowly transform into lovable odd ball.
It worked with Mike Tyson - he was the baddest man on the planet and then instantly a scumbag (whether you believe it or not, there was enough evidence to convict him for rape, so at the very least something bad went on). After he got out of prison he was in huge debt and had to takes fights to pay them off...only thing was he was no longer good. We still felt uneasy about him. Then he bit Evander Holyfield's ear off and some of us started questioning his sanity. When he got his face tattooed we finally realized that he wasn't right in the head and somehow started to come around on him. Then thanks to an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where we found out about his pigeons, and other talk shows he landed a role in The Hangover. That of course led to another appearance on Kimmel...today he is a reoccurring player on Kimmel and has his own Animal Planet show. His transformation to lovable guy has been amazing.
Now with the news that Ron Artest is going to be on Dancing with the Stars, we seem to have another Tyson story on our hands. To be honest, it is absolutely shocking to me. I mean, just 7 years ago, Artest was the major player in the sports' biggest black eye in history. He was not convicted on any criminal charges, but the court of public opinion easily ruled him to be an asshole. People hated Artest and shook their head at the NBA, saying how that one incident was indicative on the all the players and the sport as a whole. It appeared to be a death sentence.
Yet as was expected, he was wanted by another team once his suspension was over. From a basketball standpoint, he helped them win games because of his unique talents - so much so that the owner was willing to give him a flyer. After playing for both Sacramento and Houston, he then joined the Lakers in 2009 because Kobe Bryant was sick and tired of playing.
LA was the perfect place for him, not only because they people there are like none other, but because he was able to hit the talk show circuit. An appearance on Jimmy Kimmel started to change our perception of him (damn, maybe Kimmel is the entire answer!) because he was seen as a lunatic, which is easier to identify with, than an asshole. With the recent news that he wanted to change his name to Metta World Peace he became even more interesting and even less of an ass. His appearance on Dancing with the Stars may not go well, but one thing is for sure - his comeback is complete.
It is honestly shocking to me that he has come this far. I guess it goes to show how forgiving this country is - that is of course, as long as you take a certain path to recovery (Michael Vick is sort of straying from that path but ultimately I think he will be back...Plaxico Burress, the arrogant SOB, probably not)
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