On June 26, 1980, Michael Vick was born in Newport News, VA.

Blessed with astounding physical abilities, he was one of the top football recruits in the country coming out of Warwick High School. His decision came down to Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

In the end, of course, he chose Tech and took Frank Beamer’s program from consistent winner to the level of the national elite.

When he stepped onto the field for the first time, at home against James Madison in the 1999 season opener, after redshirting the previous season, it was a questioning buzz that swept Lane Stadium.

People pulled out their programs to search for information on the new starting quarterback, number seven, Vick.

Most were quickly directed away from the program, their eyes suddenly glued to the field.

Before some had discovered his full name, Vick was juking, sprinting and flipping over a JMU player into the endzone for a touchdown that momentarily hushed the wide-eyed crowd before the spontaneous cheers erupted.

Minus the fact that he sprained his ankle on the play and missed the UAB game, it was the beginning of a spectacular run that would end in the National Championship game loss to Florida State.

Either way, Vick was hailed as the hero of the Virginia Tech football program, and became the second Hokie to be selected as the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft.

He eventually found some success with the Falcons, becoming the first quarterback to beat the Packers in playoff game at Lambeau Field in over 40 years.

However, images of his scrambling running style, of the confounded defenders he left in his wake, were suddenly replaced by images of Vick looking out of place in a suit, walking into a courthouse.

His life ripped apart by a dog-fighting scandal that tarnished his public reputation, Vick is still in federal custody and suspended from the NFL.

As his sentence expires he awaits a chance to give people another memory, 10 years into his life in the public eye.

However, today will not be remembered as Vick’s 29th birthday. It will be remembered as the world’s first day without a different Michael: Michael Jackson.

Jackson is the picture of what Vick hopes to avoid.

He experienced a similar leap into the spotlight and made his mark with the best-selling album of all time, Thriller.

Of course, he also starred in his own public scandal, with the scenes outside the courthouse to match, and destroyed a career that certainly held the possibility of continuing.

An American institution, Jackson’s troubles elicited their fair share of venom and also a bizarre amount of support.

However, he never put an end to his bizarre saga, and died yesterday without leaving a positive final memory for the public.

As the crowds gathered in the street outside UCLA’s medical center, they mourned not for the man, but for the music, the displays of talent, the moments of awe, that they never got to see.

While people frequently forget this, athletes and pop idols are not beloved for being role models, but instead for the seemingly superhuman qualities they possess. They can do what most cannot, whether it is gliding through a secondary untouched or moonwalking across a stage.

Their transgressions may be disgusting and reprehensible, but punishing them beyond the legal system’s parameters only punishes a world that did not soak up all the value and enjoyment out of the rare few who can offer so much entertainment to a society that wants something to smile about.

Jackson’s “return tour” that never materialized would have sold out, and inspired his fans to forget his more disturbing moments.

Vick has a chance to add what he can to the world.

He is not asking to raise your children or be a model of decency, and he shouldn’t have to be held to that standard because of his talent.

He is an unparalleled entertainer. And on this day, more than any other, we should appreciate what stands to be lost. Zc