Imagine a Wagner Stadium full of fans booing an injured player taking too long to make his way off the field, or a teacher boosting a quarterback’s grade so he’s eligible to play, or even administrators turning a blind eye to an abusive coach.

Actions considered distasteful at the high school level are likely not happening here in Beaufort County, but in the wide world of sports, on the professional and collegiate levels, recent decisions by some of the most well-known entities in athletics is shortening the divide between real-world ethics and providing fans with the best on-the-field product.

Two rulings — one by the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL, the other by the NCAA — were handed down this week, both involving two inexcusable and horrid acts.

According to multiple sources, the Ravens parted ways with six-year veteran running back Ray Rice after an extended version of a security recording of Rice assaulting his then fiancée (now wife) in an elevator of an Atlantic City, N.J. casino was released by TMZ.

The original version released some months ago, showing Rice dragging his unconscious fiancé out of an elevator, prompted a two-game suspension by the NFL, one that received harsh criticism from the general public. Nevertheless, Rice’s teammates supported him through the process. Even the fans in Baltimore welcomed Rice, the attacker in a clear-cut case of domestic violence, with a standing ovation in the team’s final preseason game.

Once the truth of what exactly happened in that elevator was exposed, the NFL suspended Rice indefinitely and the Ravens terminated his contract. Domestic violence, an act that has always remained concealed from the public eye, was suddenly visualized for all to see, altering the perception of Rice. Now, domestic violence has a face.

On a seemingly continuous loop, national sports stations showed the full video, exposing the public, youth included, to a graphic case of one of society’s most prevalent and disgusting evils, bringing into question journalistic ethics and the decisions to broadcast the video.

Does the public really benefit from seeing that act over and over again? That’s a matter of opinion. One thing is certain, Rice’s wife, Janay, the real victim in this case, is suddenly forced to relive something she’s tried so hard to put behind her. In that respect, airing the video is wrong.

And as for the NFL’s and Ravens’ initial steps in handling the first video, no applause is warranted there either. The business of football outweighed an act of domestic violence, while it should have been the other way around. In a game built around masculinity, a man laying a violent hand on a woman is a problem much bigger than football.

Two years ago, Jerry Sandusky, Penn State’s former defensive coordinator, was convicted for sexually abusing eight boys — again, an issue much larger than football. A handful of Penn State figureheads, including head coach Joe Paterno, were alleged to have known about Sandusky’s horrific acts. Penn State was handed a four-year bowl ban, along with a medley of other sanctions, most of which the majority of the public deemed fair.

On Tuesday, the NCAA came out and lifted the bowl ban two years early and returned athletic scholarships to Penn State’s football program. The argument has been made that new staff and players who now make up the team had no involvement with Sandusky’s actions. Therefore, they should be pardoned.

So what.

These players who chose to go to Penn State did so under the assumption that there would be no bowl games. In a case where children were sexually abused, early parole should not be an option, especially when the penalty was a meager four years.

Whether it’s Pam Pack football players, Seahawks soccer players or Northside volleyball players, the example the NCAA ruling or Rice altercation sets from our youth, the future of professional athletics, is simply incorrect.

I’ve mentioned in previous columns that youth and high school athletics are vehicles for equality and harbingers for acceptance. Beaufort County’s high school sporting events show just how far we’ve come in that respect, but Tuesday’s rulings illustrate how far we still have to go.