By: Taylor Nigrelli
Sports Editor
The last few years have provided us with the idea that success in sports is more important than the safety and well-being of children, the opportunity for education and players’ off-the-field tomfoolery.
Apparently it is also more important than witnessing the birth of your second child.
Sunday, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco opted to play in a game against the Cleveland Browns despite receiving news that his wife gave birth roughly an hour before.
Flacco’s wife, Dana, called him just after noon Sunday to inform him of the birth. Flacco started slowly, but threw two touchdowns in the second half to lead Baltimore to a 14-6 victory.
Yes, the NFL is a high-stakes league. And yes, the Ravens won the game. And sure, his wife claimed to have been OK with it. That’s not the issue.
Men should be present for the birth of their children. It’s 2013, not 1960. It seems Flacco has confused his life with an episode of “Mad Men.” He seems to think he still lives in a world where men abandon their wives during one of the most painful and difficult times of their lives. Perhaps he should pour himself a glass of scotch at halftime or smoke cigarettes during team meetings. This is more in-keeping with the time period his view on childbirth represents.
A man of nearly any profession would leave work to accompany his wife during childbirth without a second thought. Obviously, there’s a difference between a postman and a reigning Super Bowl MVP quarterback who recently signed a $120 million dollar contract, but this is not an excuse.
All Flacco’s fame and fortune doesn’t change the experience of childbirth. Dana Flacco may not have been totally alone. But she was without the father of her child – without question the next most important person to the birthing experience.
Flacco should have been as much of a part of the birthing process as possible not because of his stature, but because every man should. Every man should play as important of a role in raising their child as possible.
By skipping his son’s birth, he set quite the dangerous precedent. Professional athletes already spend an inordinate amount of time on the road and away from their children. Flacco could have counteracted that in a small way.
Instead, he chose to learn about one of the most important events in his life through a short phone call before turning his attention to a game.
Flacco may turn out to be a great father, but he hasn’t started off well. By valuing his job over his family, he’s furthered the idea that sports should be prioritized above all else.
Each person is free to decide what matters most to him or her. Flacco has made his priorities loud and clear.
Here’s to hoping the rest of his time as a father goes better than the first day did.
