Today's sporting stars: ashamed or enshrined?

St. Paul Pioneer Press ^ | August 26, 2007 | Tom Powers

[rhema]

Here's the evolution of the sports celebrity in America over the past 60 years: We've gone from Classic Hero to Anti-Hero to Tragic Hero to Complete Idiot.

In other words, we've gone from Stan Musial to Joe Namath to Darryl Strawberry to Michael Vick.

I don't know what comes after Michael Vick. I don't want to know what comes after Michael Vick.

Back in the day - time out while all the young people roll their eyes - the thing athletes guarded more zealously than anything else was their reputation. With so much less media, it was easier to do. But it still took effort. There was a sense of responsibility.

It probably had to do with the values of what former anchorman Tom Brokaw termed "The Greatest Generation." That was the generation that fought in World War II, the last selfless generation that put the collective good ahead of individual rights.

So the prototypical hero was the strong, silent type. They carried themselves with dignity (Joe DiMaggio), stood for something (Jackie Robinson), and might even have exhibited a childlike sweetness (Willie Mays).

They had their flaws. But they were not interested in sharing them. Instead, they strived to set an example. No doubt there were economic issues involved. The money didn't flow as freely as it does today, so nobody wanted to kill a good thing. Yet it just seemed as if they really, really worked at it.

Those were people you'd be proud to have in your home.

I would not want Pacman Jones in my home.

When the Greatest Generation begat the Baby Boomers, things began to change. A new type of hero emerged. These athletes were no less committed and no less talented. But they had their own way of doing things. The 1960s and 1970s produced sports figures that reveled in their individuality.

They were flamboyant (Walt Frazier), courted fame (Joe Namath) and had a different set of values (Muhammad Ali).

I thought this was the coolest group and the most fun. Still, despite all the changes in society, most of the athletes of this time continued to feel a certain accountability. While they advocated "doing their own thing" and following their conscience, these Anti-Heroes understood that their good fortune stemmed from their fan base. And they behaved accordingly, most often staying within the boundaries of common decency.

Then the country sort of settled down. Media increased. Everyone started looking for the deeper story. Suddenly we came face to face with the Tragic Heroes. They were always around, I guess. Maybe we just began to notice them more often.

It seemed as if every city and every team had one: A talented athlete who was so plagued by inner demons that he or she had trouble functioning. For me, the two that always come to mind are Pete Maravich and Darryl Strawberry. These were ultra-talented guys who could not overcome their personal problems.

Maravich was light-years ahead of his time in the NBA, demonstrating individual skills that no one had seen. But he had a very complicated relationship with his demanding father. Maravich suffered from depression and anxiety and saw his career fizzle at an early age.

Strawberry, an amazingly gifted ballplayer, couldn't get past his drug and alcohol problems. He'd get on track and then, boom, another relapse. As good as he was, his career didn't turn out as it should.

This was a sad time, when so many heroes were exposed as smaller than life. But who could have been prepared for what followed?

Pick up the paper today and you can read about all the steroid-tainted records in baseball. Or the cyclists kicked out of the Tour de France for doping. You can read about Pacman Jones' latest escapades and Michael's Vick's dogfighting business.

How many NFL players have been arrested in the past 12 months? Will the crooked NBA referee implicate others? And then there's the steady stream of disorderly conducts, DUIs, alleged rapes and weapons charges.

Today it's all about money and instant gratification. It's about whatever someone can get away with. Nobody owes the public nothin'. These are the Complete Idiots.

Not every athlete is an idiot, obviously. And some who are hide it really well. There still are plenty of sports figures that try to set a proper example. But there seems to be a disproportionate number of social misfits. Something bad happens almost every day. It's like a game of "catch me if you can."

Charles Barkley once declared in a Nike commercial: "I am not a role model."

He was right, of course. There's no reason an athlete should be considered a role model or a hero. But I liked it better when they tried.

[End Times Sentinel]

Michael Vick is the finest Two Sport Superstar of Our Day.

Owl_Eagle

If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.

[SteveMcKing]

They owe us nothing.

If people are foolish enough to idolize them, that’s not their problem.

[Terpfen]

There's no reason an athlete should be considered a role model or a hero. But I liked it better when they tried.

Don't you love it when people gloss over facts for the sake of complaining?

For every Michael Vick, there's a LaDainian Tomlinson, a Peyton Manning, a Jason Taylor, a Shaun Alexander.

For every Pacman Jones, there's a Champ Bailey, a Drew Brees, a Marvin Harrison, a Carson Palmer, a Brett Favre.

For every Ron Artest, there's a Dwyane Wade, a Kevin Garnett, a Steve Nash, a Tim Duncan.

It's idiotic to allow the misdeeds of a few athletes tarnish the character and quality of the rest.

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

Somebody was thinking of setting up a 24/7 network on the NBA. Then they realized there already was one: Court TV.

[martin_fierro]

[Logophile]

It's idiotic to allow the misdeeds of a few athletes tarnish the character and quality of the rest.

True, but that is what the professional sports leagues have done.

[Terpfen]

Really? I missed that edict by David Stern. Roger Goodell sure as hell is not taking player misconduct lightly. Bud Selig, however, is kind of asleep at the wheel.

[donna]

As George Washington said in his First Inaugural Address,

“there is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness.”

Liberty does not mean being free to squander one’s energies on reckless self-indulgence. Understanding this distinction is what the Founders understood as the moral conditions of freedom.

http://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/classroom/religious_liberty3.html

[noblejones]

<<
Michael Vick is the finest Two Sport Superstar of Our Day.
>>

What sports? Dog torturing and getting @ss raped in prison?

[boop]

Not an athlete anymore, but Tony Dungy is about as great of a person as you can get in sports. Actually the whole Colts outfit is pretty classy, but I’m prejudiced;) Another top-down classy organization was the Landry era Cowboys. I’m sure Tom would have kicked Staubach’s ass if he even thought about being a thug like Vick.

[maxwellp]

I am not a football, baseball or basketball fan. But I do remember Pat Tillman.

[Terpfen]

Actually the whole Colts outfit is pretty classy, but I’m prejudiced;)

You ARE prejudiced, because Bill Polian is a well-known Grade-A @$$hole, going so far as to assault a Jets employee after a game. (I hate the Jets, too, but come on, Bill.)

[boop]

Sorry, I didn’t know that. I’ve met the Irsay’s and they were with only one exception really decent people.

[Terpfen]

The Irsays are indeed decent. Bill Polian, however, is not. (NFL insiders call him Napolian.)

[End Times Sentinel]

getting @ss raped in prison?

Mike Vick can run 40 yards in 4.3 seconds and bench 225 lbs 25 times. If anything, it's the other prisoners that are going need to worry about getting raped by him.

Owl_Eagle

If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.