Whether it is as a professional or a standout collegiate athlete, every child growing up has… Whether it is as a professional or a standout collegiate athlete, every child growing up has the same dream of being a famous athlete in the sport he or she loves.

For a chosen few, this dream actually does come true. One would think that most of them are leading some pretty exciting lives that we mortals couldn’t possibly fathom.

But if that is the case, then why is it that you can never go a day without seeing some athlete screw up his situation or the game he plays by doing something completely idiotic?

I say this after coming across two instances in which this took place yesterday. First, I read a story stating that Marcus Vick — brother of Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick — will avoid jail time after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge.

Vick was arrested in February with two of his teammates after an encounter with 14- and 15-year-old girls at his apartment on campus.

One would think that Vick would learn his lesson from one run-in with the law, but just last month he was pulled over in his car and eventually pleaded guilty to reckless driving and no contest to marijuana possession.

Many of us would give anything just to be known as Michael Vick’s brother, let alone have at least half the football talent he possesses. The man who does, however, acts as if it is no big deal.

Imagine if you had been given a free education by a respectable university and a chance to play football at a winning program — and then were suspended for a year because you couldn’t stay out of trouble.

The other situation I noticed while writing this column came when SportsCenter aired the Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics highlights.

Late in this game, I saw two Texas relievers — Doug Brocail and Frank Francisco — screaming back and forth at a fan. At first it wasn’t surprising to me because you see this often when a fan has a little too much to drink and starts to heckle the players.

This incident, however, escalated to the point of Francisco throwing a folding chair into to people in the stands, including a woman whose nose was broken.

I have the assumption that whenever I buy a ticket to witness any sporting event, I have the right to say whatever I please to anyone on the field. I say this too, because I never noticed a sign at a stadium that tells me otherwise.

Rangers’ manager Buck Showalter said, “It was a real break from the normal trash you hear from fans.”

I hope I’m with everyone on this one when I say that no matter what a fan could say, it should never warrant a chair being thrown at him or her. Athletic ability should come with some degree of maturity.

I remember the days when John Rocker would get batteries thrown at him when coming on the field. What I don’t ever recall is Rocker throwing them back or inciting a riot.

What are these guys thinking? They contain a talent that enables them to play sports extremely well and live the lifestyle that millions of us can only imagine. Then they proceed to make a mockery of themselves and the institutions they represent.

To Vick, Brocail and Francisco I say, grow up! As an athlete, you take on some extra responsibility that you should be able to uphold. You are not above the law. And you should not feel that you can do whatever you want, just because of who you are.

If you can’t handle yourself in these surroundings, I’m sure there are plenty of people who would love to take your place.

Alan Smodic is a senior staff writer for The Pitt News. If he was a professional athlete, he would never throw chairs at opposing fans.