America at Large:Several years ago I took my daughter and son to one of the final performances of Cats, which was about to conclude its record, 18-year run on Broadway. Our subsequent discussion revealed we had all arrived at essentially the same conclusion: we all liked it well enough, but, not being cat people ourselves, we agreed that we'd probably have been able to appreciate a musical called "Dogs" a lot more.
There are apparently a lot more of us Dog People than even I had supposed. Or perhaps it's just that the Peta and Humane Society types are even better organised than, say, groups opposing violence to women, racial discrimination and drunk driving, to say nothing of the anti-gun lobby.
How else to explain the outpouring of almost universal condemnation which has followed the federal indictment of Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick as the apparent kingpin of a Surry County, Virginia-based dog-fighting operation? On July 17th, Vick was indicted and charged with "conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities, and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture".
When the Vick saga began to unfold a month-and-a-half ago we predicted in these pages that the matter might have far-reaching economic consequences, but we could hardly have guessed just how far-reaching.
We were out of the country when Vick was indicted, and since the charges came down on the eve of the British Open at Carnoustie, the story probably didn't receive the attention it deserved on the other side of the Atlantic. But here's what's happened in the two weeks since the spit hit the fan: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell effectively suspended Vick, ordering him not to report to the Falcons' training camp in Russell, Georgia, pending the disposition of the case, which is scheduled for trial on November 26th - more than halfway through the season which starts next month.
Nike announced the cancellation of its "Air Zoom Vick V" shoe model, and suspended his contract without pay.
Reebok, the NFL's official apparel manufacturer, suspended sales of Vick's No 7 Atlanta jersey - which just a few years ago was the hottest-selling item on the market. Donruss, the trading card company, announced that it was removing Vick's likeness from all future products.
Another trading card company, Upper Deck, removed autographed Vick memorabilia from its online store, and removed his card from the sets being offered for the 2007 season.
A few days ago Rawlings, the sporting goods manufacturer, joined the parade, removing all Vick-endorsed items from its catalogue, effective immediately.
AirTran, an Atlanta-based low-cost airline, had quietly terminated its relationship with Vick even before the charges were filed.
From where we sit, it's all a bit mind-boggling. In the last decade alone professional athletes have been accused of rape and murder, killed people while driving drunk and discharged firearms with relative impunity. What is it about L'Affair Vick that has brought about this almost universal expression of outrage and revulsion?
Well, it is pretty disgusting. An FBI investigation, according to court documents, revealed the carcasses of over 50 dogs on Vick's property, and fights, often to the death, were apparently just the tip of the iceberg. Consider the fate of losing survivors. According to the indictment, and the testimony of one of Vick's named co-conspirators, "underperforming" canines were routinely executed - and we're not talking euthanasia here. Sometimes these Bums of the Month were shot, drowned, hanged or electrocuted - and those were the lucky ones. According to the indictment, at least one losing pit bull was disposed of by being repeatedly slammed to the ground.
Despite his protestations of ignorance of the atrocities taking place on his Virginia property (he maintains he is intent on "clearing my good name" at trial), the indictment makes it clear that the Atlanta quarterback was in it up to his eyeballs.
"The 'Bad Newz Kennels' operation and gambling monies were almost exclusively funded by Michael Vick," states the indictment's summary of facts, which alleges that Vick personally attended many of the dog-fights and shared in prize-money, which sometimes reached as much as $26,000 - more than a boxer in an ESPN main event usually commands.
Incredibly enough, Vick has had his defenders, and not just those advocating his right to be considered innocent until proven guilty.
Some have defended his blood "sport" on the grounds that it is inherently no more inhumane than - and you knew this was coming - boxing.
Remarkably, at least one advocate of this position includes an actual boxer. After he defeated Carlos Baldomir to win the WBC light middleweight title last Saturday night, former welterweight champion Vernon Forrest told my friend, the retired New York sportswriter Michael (Wolf Man) Katz, "What we do in the ring ain't that much different. Maybe the biggest difference is that dog-fighting is illegal and you can collect tax dollars on what is legal". Forrest, it might be noted, is an Atlanta native and remains friendly with Michael Vick.
"In the South, dog-fighting is part of the culture," Forrest told Katz. "It's like, if you have a dog and I have a dog, we'd want to see which one was tougher. It's almost a normal thing."
In the South, Katz reminded Forrest, the "culture" he referred to once included slavery.
"I'm not an advocate for dog-fighting," replied the boxer. "I'm not an advocate against it. I'm just trying to tell you how it is."
