Chicago ? In professional sports, players often have as much use for former players as they do for paying for meals at restaurants. Their lack of regard for the people who came before them is a sad thing to behold.

We have spent part of the last year listening to stories about the NFL’s indifference toward the physical and emotional struggles of some of its former players. In no small way, the mind-set of current players has allowed that to happen.

The mind-set in most pro sports is this: Nothing happened before we arrived on the scene. Nobody existed before we were born. History began with our era.

Thus a player doesn’t want to be the next Julius Erving. He wants to be the first (His Name Here).

When Scottie Pippen spouted off the other day about what ails the ailing Bulls, the targets of his criticism likely dismissed his comments the way they might crumbs on their lapels. It’s too bad because Pippen had some worthwhile things to say about the current crop of players in Chicago jerseys. That doesn’t mean he would make a good NBA head coach. It means he has some insight. There’s a difference. It’s the difference between being a field general and a retired soldier. It’s the difference between Jerry Sloan and Charles Barkley.

Pippen might have been named one of the top 50 players in NBA history, but the voting for that particular designation occurred in 1996, which might as well be the Middle Ages to today’s players.

At 42, Pippen probably has entered Crazy Old Man territory in the eyes of these guys.

But as he rightly pointed out, Ben Gordon does take bad shots, Ben Wallace does need to start earning his keep and Kirk Hinrich does need to start acting more like a point guard.

As addled and out of touch as they might perceive Pippen to be, Bulls players at least know who he is. You wonder what they know about the team’s director of community affairs. That would be Bob Love, whose jersey hangs from the rafters at the United Center. Love is the Bulls’ second all-time leading scorer.

Yeah, but he played in what, the 1870s?

Maybe the active players see the retired players and see themselves in 20 years. Maybe they don’t like what they see. Maybe they see men adrift. Maybe they don’t want to look at it.

When ex-players show up at games, they sometimes look awkward, as if they feel they don’t belong. Or maybe it’s that they’re made to feel they don’t belong.

I was covering a pro football team when a former player-turned-realtor visited its practice facility. By the rolled eyes of the players, it appeared he was committing two sins. One, that he came back. Two, that he came back to sell something. There were looks that said, “What is he doing here? Have some dignity. Know when your time is up.”

Time passes quickly in sports, and the expectation – no, the demand – is for retired players to get off the stage.

You might have caught a whiff of this as the Bears made their way toward the Super Bowl in 2006. After awhile, it became apparent the players were sick to death of hearing about the 1985 Bears. This was their time in the spotlight. These were their media opportunities. Unfortunately for them, the ’85 Bears don’t fit in the category of players-to-be-ignored. They’re too big for that. They’re also the exception to the rule.

There is hope for this current generation of athletes. Several NFL players donated all or part of a recent game check to help boost a fund that aids needy former players. This was an example of a few players reaching back to grab the hands of people who had helped make the league what it is. Nice.