Laying it on the line: Heroes wanted
By Ray Rodriguez — Argus Observer
Thursday, August 30, 2007 12:46 PM PDT
I grew up with heroes.
Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, Ron Cey and Bo Jackson.
I emulated their every move.
From batting stances, hairstyles to technique and with Gretzky I just was amazed by his grace on the ice.
I cried when Magic hit the hook-shot to beat the hated Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Finals in 1987 and when Gretzky became the National Hockey League’s all-time leading scorer with his goal against the Vancouver Canucks in 1994.
Moments of greatness capture the imagination of fans, young and old. Those moments are portraits of history where we as fans, we know where we were, the temperature outside and who was President.
That is something nobody can take away.
But like anything else in the world, an athlete can’t be trusted.
Maybe it’s the real world kicking in telling me that, but it’s hard. I am a believer in feel-good stories, the cinderella team, and crying when a moment captures that inner-child in me.
But when push comes to shove, who knows who we are cheering for and what they have done or what harm they have caused others.
None of these athletes are perfect however, and no athlete should be held in the highest esteem.
Retired NBA star Charles Barkley said it loud and clear — “We are not role models.”
He said that, but try telling many impressionable young athletes or kids in general that their hero is a mere bag of bones with faults.
From the legal issues of Michael Vick, to the cloud of doubt surrounding Barry Bonds and the home run record, it seems nothing is sacred anymore.
Who can be trusted and which athlete can we as adults tell children is a true role model?
But what is a role model?
In the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary, a role model is a person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others.
Many youngsters see things, soak it up like a sponge and act accordingly.
The response will be ‘Bonds did it and people love him. He’s a hero.’ Or ‘The kid from this high school just wanted a chance to get out of the area and into a good college.’
Excuses, excuses.
We’ll do whatever we can to keep a tarnished reputation as clean as whistle.
But this summer has been what I call the summer of cheats, criminals, liars or just plain jerks.
From Vick to Bonds to NBA referee Tim Donaghy to even Terrell Owens, nothing in the world of athletics can be trusted, idolized or even put on any pedestal.
Vick pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges and will be sentenced Dec. 10, Bonds will always have the asterisk behind his home run record, Donaghy will probably serve 25 years for gambling and Owens has acquired the disgust of many fans for just being himself.
As a parent, what do you tell your children?
Do you risk having your child hate sports in general by telling them that an athlete and their accomplishments can’t be trusted? Do you convey your feelings as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Or do you let them come to their own conclusion?
I say, tell stories of Pat Tillman, Ted Williams and former Celtic great Bill Russell.
But then again...
If professional and college sports are jaded now, where does a child turn to to find sports at its purity?
Maybe it’s at the high school level, Little League or a group of seven-year-olds playing at the recreational level.
Even at the high school level, can we or should we raise an eyebrow at certain athletes?
The fact is sports has lost its innocence.
No athlete can be entrusted to be role models, idols or as a picture of success. Let’s get to it, they are just like you and me.
Sports used to represent a diversion to whatever ills are causing a person. Whether it’s a war, financial issues or your eight-year-old son wants to be a ballerina when he grows up.
Sports gave us an outlet.
Three hours of joy with a couple of cold ones, some good friends and a moment.
A moment of jubilation, of tears or of ‘We’ll do it next year.’
But as frustrated as we are with sports as whole we always go back. Call us suckers, sentimentalists or maybe just fans to the bitter end. We put blinders on and move on.
With an attitude like that, I guess we’ll never learn.
We’re sports fans.
You can lie to us, cheat, gamble, put forth a lackluster effort, complain and leave us for more money.
You can sleep comfortably at night and not worry, whereas we will take the pain, punishment and disappointment and come back for more.
We want a hero.
Alma wrote on Aug 28, 2009 8:22 PM:
Im so very proud of you, you did AMAZING!! Yet still very young and have years to improve, which seems scary. I know grandpa was cheering for you, chanting #1, #1... Keep up the great work kido. "