Frank Deford, a Sports Illustrated senior writer, provides sports commentary for National Public Radio. This past Wednesday he spoke to the increase in physical abuse of women by athletes, professional athletes in particular.

His belief is that while male athletes and womanizing have long run together, something happened recently to take that connection to an ugly level of pursuit that too often results in abuse and violence. Deford said that turn is the result of athletes at earlier and earlier levels being responsible for nothing and able to get away with everything.

His reasoning seems correct, his conclusion, however, left me wondering. He said despite the rising abuse and violence by athletes, there is little impact on fan support of the sports themselves.

Deford said when fans speak against sports it’s about ticket prices or salaries or player movement. Never, he says, do fans say they will no longer support a league because of player abuse. There is room to wonder there.

Reputations of sports, like individuals, build over time. Actions have a cumulative affect on reputations. While the fans response to athlete abuses may not be heard immediately, the long-term impact on fan support of games should be a major concern for sports leagues at every level.

The NBA is in trouble right now. The reputation of the league suffers from far too many crude and abusive players. I have had numerous former NBA fans say to me, “Why support that?”

Because the NBA rosters are largely African-American players, many fans that would otherwise be public in their disgust of the NBA remain silent for fear of having others say such criticisms are racist. That’s a sin, because race has nothing to do with a diminished reputation of a league wallowing in irresponsibility.

The NBA is but an example. Other major pro sports and big- time college sports suffer abuse and violence problems. The overriding reason for these problems is the continued and unhealthy God-like worship of athletes by fans.

Because of this, divisions are growing. Non-sports fans are increasingly fed up with fanatics whose blind support of sports leads to college sports cheating, athlete violence and an tension in youth sports.

Older fans find it more difficult to support out-of-control athletes. Younger fans increasingly believe being an athlete gives you the right to act stupidly and be irresponsible.

Those offended by the abuses of athletes seek to use youth programs to instill a different set of values for players, but they are often opposed by parents and kids who see money in their future and want nothing to impede them.

Behind all of this is the big engine of sports media, especially TV. Television wants viewers. We are all too aware TV will air anything if it might attract a viewer for a night. TV sports executives are nearly as irresponsible as the criminal athletes they love for providing the outrageous.

Kobe Bryant with lawyers is what TV sports want, not the well-played, down-to-the-buzzer thriller played by athletes of substance.

Most troubling, and what would make Deford’s conclusions correct, is if we as fans want this outrageous conduct to be what sports is about. If we watch it, buy tickets to it and remain silent regarding it, we are supporting it.

Hopefully, a building negative reputation surrounding abusive athletic acts will lead to support to clean up the problems rather than use them as sports highlights.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and NBC sportscaster.