Book review about sport journalism

EAC 955 NBA NBB Week 4

Fallen “Heroes”? Role Models?

“As years passed, it became clear to me that kids see all, not just some of your actions but all. Athletes in the big leagues will be role models indefinitely.”

Baseball Great Cal Ripken Jr.

This is just another reminder, if you see words that are capitalized, in big letters, have been bolded, coloured, underlined, or highlighted, I am simply trying to emphasize something. I’m not being angry or shouting at you. Remember, I don’t have the luxury of teaching before you in a traditional classroom. So I have to work with what I have and really, it’s just accented words, emojis, videos and website links. Fight your natural instincts here when it comes to what you are used to with texting. SAYING THIS does not mean SAYING THIS!!!! Get it? (

Introduction

A few years ago, former basketball great Charles Barkley while being a guest on the Oprah Winfrey was asked to tell the audience a weird story about fame. Without any pause, he told her about a get together that he had with his friend and former basketball rival, Michael Jordan. It really shows the degree that some fans idolize athletes:

“We once went out to a bar and Michael was playing a game of pool. The bar had to put barriers around the table so that fans could watch him play. There they were for 2-3 hours just starring at him and not saying a word. It was freaky.”

Freaky indeed.

So what is it that makes so many of us idolize these people? Should athletes be viewed as “heroes?” Should they be considered role models? Is this a part of their job title? What influences do they have on youth?

In this lecture, we’ll try to answer these questions. Just know, right from the start, that you’ll definitely see my biases on these issues. I do this in order to make reading my lecture notes have a “personal/human” rather than “textbook/digital” feel to them.

These views are mine but that does not mean that I want you to think the way that I do. Far from it. FEEL FREE TO DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS. (See I used caps here but I was not angry. ()

My goal is to not make you parrots. If you agree with me, great (you clearly are super smart ;-)). If you don’t it does not matter. Opinions are like noses, everybody has one. Do not worry about freely expressing your own. All that I’m looking for in this course is to see if you’re thinking and writing well. If you can do both these things, you’ll do very well in EAC 955.

You have my word on this matter. Just be polite, please. Thanks.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

· Define the meaning of heroes and assess this definition as it applies to athletes.

· Better articulate your position on whether athletes should be considered role models.

· More clearly articulate the concept of sportsmanship.

· Continue to see if any reasonable connections can be made between this lecture and the books you have chosen for the book review assignment.

Glossary

· Grinders

· Underdogs

· Underachievers

· Showboaters

· Premadonnas

· Grounded

· Lowering the Bar

· Impressionable Children

· Post-Modern Society

· Anti-Heroes

· Idols

· Window of Innocence

· Role Models

· Spoiled-Athlete Syndrome

· “Wa”

· Active, Accidental, and Passive Heroes

· Social Contract

Great Role Models

The first thing that we need to do in this lecture is define what makes a great and not so great sports role model. Let’s start with the great ones. What are their main traits?

Well first of all, they tend to show humility and realize that they have been given a special gift that can be used to benefit others. They know that their gift can only be fully realized through hard work. Some have an ability to overcome obstacles and help others to do so as well. They have a passion and ability to inspire others to do good things. They tend to show commitment to their communities where they generously volunteer their time and they do so just because they want to not in order to receive tax breaks for doing so. They are also selfless in the stadiums and arenas that they play in. Basically, they are good people who have been given a platform and use it to give back and make this world a better place to live in.

INCLUDEPICTURE "https://movietvtechgeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/aaron-hernandez-worst-sports-role-models-2015-images.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET Not So Great Role Models

Poor role models are their exact opposites. They are arrogant, selfish, seldom reach their full potential, often quit when the going gets tough, cheat, play dirty, live self-destructive lifestyles and do harm to those around them. Such individuals fail to realize or care that vulnerable kids are watching them and emulate their “heroes” by also making poor life decisions.

Now no human is perfect. Some good role models have their issues. Some of the bad ones have done some pretty nice things. Human beings are full of contradictions. No one is a true “saint.”

“I Am Not A Role Model?” Should Athletes Be Role Models?

The Following is a 30 second Nike commercial featuring former NBA superstar Charles Barkley produced in 1993. To this day, it remains controversial. This video will act as a great way of introducing one of this week’s main topics.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMzdAZ3TjCA

The following video is a well done short video student project by Ashley Raderstorf examining the issue of whether athletes should be role models for children. Again, this video will act as a great way of introducing one of this week’s main topics. http://youtube.com/watch?v=XsR_rH2Rqiw

If your computer can’t process these online videos, simply read the text portion of this online lecture.

If you know of any other links that would be appropriate for this unit, please forward them to me by e-mail. I would be most appreciative.

Many of us are inspired by what our favourite athletes do. They can influence us to perform better by modeling their hard work and determination.

Parental Guidance Is Advised

Kids idolize sports figures both for their athletic ability and their fame.

So it is now the task of every parent to never leave their young children to watch sporting events or news programs on their own. One no longer knows what vulgar activities might take place. You never know if a player might bite off his opponent’s ear in the middle of a match.

Athletes- like pop and movie stars- have made the job of parenting more complicated than it once was. In the past, parents did not have to explain to 6 or 7 year olds why their favourite player has been charged with rape or drug possession. They did not even have to explain to these youngsters what rape is. Indeed, in times past, children had the gift of living through a brief “window of innocence” where they were shielded from the dark realities of our world. Sadly, this window is increasingly closing shut. This is reality, and we all have to deal with it.

For many who are 40 years old and up though, they lament that their children are being deprived of the same wonderful window period of innocence that they once experienced.

A lot has change in these last few decades. Children have access to the vilest of things with their smart phones. It’s nearly impossible for parents to keep an eye on what they are watching and how they are behaving. Many parents either through intense job and/or relationship pressures do not adequately monitor their children’s viewing habits and behaviours. What this means is that there are a lot of children being raised by the words, images and sounds of the mass media.

The messages that these vulnerable kids are receiving often centre on selfishness, anger, disrespect, crudity, vulgarity, and cheating.

Charles Barkley was wrong then. Children looked-up to him. He was a role model- whether he liked it or not.

In a MacLean’s interview by Ken MacQueen, here’s what the incredibly grounded hockey legend Bobby Orr had to say on these matters:

“Q: In the book, you refer to Mr. This and Coach That, very respectful. You say athletes have a greater responsibility than the average Joe to be nice, or at least respectful.

A: Years ago there was as athlete [Charles Barkley] who did a commercial for a product and he says, “I’m not a role model.” I don’t believe that, I don’t agree with that. Once you sign that pro contract, once you make that big money, once you have the kids buying your products, once you have the parents paying the high prices for tickets to see you play—you belong to that club whether you like it or not. We’ve got a lot of great pros out there who do good work in the community with the kids and set good examples, but we’ve got some guys who don’t. We didn’t have a lot in our house when I was growing up, but there was love. We didn’t sit at the table with hats on or we’d get a swat in the head. We always worked. That’s what our parents taught us. My parents worked very hard at more than one job usually. They had five kids. My brothers, my sisters, my parents sacrificed a lot so I could realize my dreams.

Now that’s old school talk. I love this guy. ;-)

What’s interesting- though certainly not surprising- is that an older and more mature Barkley is now beginning to back-off on some of his comments from the past. As you age, you will notice that some of the “anti-heroes” of your youth with will do the same. Sadly, though, the damage that they have done on their generation has been done. Perhaps playwright George Bernard Shaw was right when he stated, “Youth is wasted on the young.”

The Lessons of Sport: Grinders and Stars

Sports can teach us, both young and old alike, many wonderful lessons such as hard work, perseverance, character, leadership, organization, and hope. It can also teach us valuable lessons on wasted talent, dishonesty, negotiating in bad faith and the folly of “idol” worship.

Hard work often results in significant payoffs- be it at school, work, or relationships. Only a few athletes are “superstars.” The vast majority professional athletes have to work very hard to either stay in their respective leagues or accomplish anything of significance. Both “grinder” (extremely hard working but less talented) athletes and “underdog” teams show us that you never know how far you can go unless you give it your all. Many of us can readily identify with them because they, like us, have had to work very hard in order to accomplish their goals.

Conversely, there are athletes blessed with incredible God-given talents who lack the mental fortitude to fully reach their potential. These types of individuals are frustrating disappointments- especially to their hard working “grinder” counterparts. Things came far too easy for them and they take advantage of this by becoming perennial “underachievers.” They are the living embodiment of the fable “the tortoise and the hare.”

Equally annoying to fans are the “showboaters” or “premadonnas” of sport. Such athletes prefer showing-off their skills rather than performing whatever tasks are necessary to help their teams win games. Their boastfulness usually incites opponents to work even harder in order to defeat them. More often than not, teams suffer from the selfishness of these types of players.

“Premadonnas” gripe, pout, whine, and demand that the teams comply to their every whim. Some exhibit tremendous skill and often hold their teams hostage to their talents. Former Raptor Vince Carter fills this bill.

Coaches frequently allow both of these types of players to get away with their antics since they can’t win with or without them. More often then not though, “showboaters” or “premadonnas” are cancers to their organizations and bring everyone down.

Arrogant Athletes

Depending on the home environment that children grow up in, they can learn two very different lessons about “showboaters” and “premadonnas.” If they are growing up with little or no parental leadership, they might conclude that so long as one has incredible talent, he or she can get away with all manner of unruly behaviour. Conversely, if a child is receiving strong parental guidance, he or she will learn that this type of behaviour is generally disastrous for a team’s success.

The interesting thing about teams stacked with skilled players is that they often lose to less skilled ones. Coaches and general managers often talk about the importance of “team chemistry” for winning. Successful teams try as much as they can to land “grounded” players. That is, athletes who can keep their egos in check.

When there are too many “stars” on a team’s roster, management usually has to contend with a lot of bickering and division. The clash of “superstar” egos often becomes far too unmanageable for most coaches and managers to handle.

Cheaters

Tour de France Cheater

Michael Rasmussen

Then there are the lessons that we learn on dishonesty, negotiating in bad faith and the folly of idol worship.

There are athletes that will cheat their way to fame using performance enhancing steroids or even injuring their rivals. (Zinedine Zidane, Marco Materazzi, Tanya Harding, Mike Tyson, Pete Rose, Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds, Michael Rasmussen, Floyd Landis, Carl Lewis, Ben Johnson just to name a few).

Sadly, their examples of behaviour are being increasingly accepted. The fact that baseball players such as Mark McGuire can possibly be viewed as being heroes for their home run accomplishments despite using performance enhancing drugs is a disturbing sociological trend. They have set in motion for the next generation of athletes to not only go along this same path but to lower the bar of acceptable tolerance on such issues even further. And, as we will discuss in a future unit, the health consequences associated with taking this route appear to be quite deadly.

Another aspect of cheating that is also becoming the norm in sports is the deliberate “faking” of injuries by players in order to trick referees into calling penalties or stopping plays. I can’t get GIFS to work on my Word files but if you have the time, look up the GIF of Aaron Hunt at: http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=UpmwzlK7&id=770FD224C14F37F9D97D52C937D391775BE8C648&thid=OIP.UpmwzlK740J6hNps4fckvAEsCy&q=soccer+player+faking+injury&simid=608034286826619245&selectedIndex=28&ajaxhist=0 This whole area falls under the realm of “sportsmanship” which we’ll be touching upon in this lecture and offering you room to comment if you like in the discussion forum.

This problem of faking or feigning injuries which started in soccer, has spread throughout all of sports- especially hockey.

Check out these links to see some soccer fakery in action. ;-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIM9w4mv0wo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72xn6FBMf2Q&feature=related

Above The Law

There is a principal in democracy known as “rule of law.” It means that NO ONE, be it the Prime Minister or any other “important” person is above the law. If he or she commits a crime, he or she should get punished the same as if you or I did it. We all know that this is not 100% true. If you have the money and influence, you can generally avoid doing serious time in prison. You might even get pardoned.

For example, in 2014 Ray Rice, NFL running back was caught on tape assaulting his fiancée in an elevator. He went to trial but served no jail time. This is just not fair. Disgusting!

Why didn’t the police immediately go after Tiger Woods when he smashed his car into a tree and fire hydrant? How did O.J. walk free?

Then there are the privileges bestowed upon sports celebrities that are downright infuriating. Why should professional athletes get instant access to MRI’s when you and I have to wait 6-8 months? Why should NHLers get immunization shots while the rest of the public has to wait until it’s too late? The public was infuriated during the H1N1 pandemic panic of 2009 when the players of the Calgary Flames, among other teams got to jump ahead of the cue.

Your Word is Your Bond?

Cheating and the preferential treatment of athletes are not the only disturbing new trends in sports. So too are broken promises. Both players and management operate under an atmosphere in which one’s word is no longer his bond. Player A signs a contract with owner B and within a short time walks out of the team’s line-up because he wants more money. Owner B may make a verbal promise to Player A to re-negotiate a contract but never follows through and makes Player A the villain. The lesson being imparted to many fans- especially those who are young is: Don’t trust anyone. A hand shake agreement means nothing.

Many of us see this nonsense at the rep level sports leagues where crazy parents have this delusional belief that their kids might get a sports scholarship. On one soccer team that my daughter was on, 5 parents got together and decided to take their daughters to $5,000 a year academy leaving us just 3 weeks to fill up all of the roster spots. As a result, we became a very weak squad that lost all of our games that season and were relegated to a lower division.

What kind of message did these parents send to their children by doing so? How does this strengthen the notion of commitment and teamsmenship? If there is a better team to play for, go ahead and jump ship with a bunch of other kids and don’t worry about what happens to those you leave behind. Classy!

I like how many hockey leagues get parents to sign one year contracts to avoid last minute departures like what our team endured. It also controls other teams from pilfering players. The fact that parents have to put it in writing that they will commit their kids says a whole lot of the weakness of one’s word these days.

What’s going on both at the professional and little league level is quite troublesome. Welcome to the age of intense cynicism. Welcome to the age of post-modernism.

Post-Modern Sport

Hulk Hogan Steve Austin

Where cheating was once not even remotely tolerated, it has now become rampant in sports. Where once illegal substance abuse was a minimal problem, it has now become a major problem. Where loyalty to the organization was at one time paramount, we now live in an era of free agency, contract holdouts and the trading away of “old assets.”

It is no longer important what a player did in the past, it’s “what have you done for me lately” that matters. Rules are not to be obeyed but to be thwarted through law suits. Players yell obscenities to fans- even physically fight with them. Others charge children for the privilege of having their autograph!

Welcome to our post-modern society where everything is “relative” and the concepts of right and wrong are to be defined by the individual- including some irresponsible athletes. There no longer are card board “good guys” in sports. The line demarcating what is “good” and what is “bad” has become incredibly obscured.

This is best reflected in the storylines and characters of the “fake” sport of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In the past, “good guy” wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan would tell his “Hulkamanics” do the “right things” such as exercise and take their vitamins (but never steroids ;-)) in order to be triumphant. The story lines always showed that sooner or later, good would prevail over evil. From the 1990’s onwards though, with the rise in cynicism of young displaced “Generation Xers,” enterprising marketers such as Vince McMahon of the then, World Wrestling Federation (WWF) capitalized on their circumstances.

He built a new type of hero- an “anti-hero” who embodied many of the traits of villains. The “good guy” character- who was the mainstay of wrestling, came to be seen a total “wimp” in need of being crushed by such “biker” figures as those of the “edgy” Steve Austin variety. These characters are difficult to describe other than they are neither wholesome nor purely evil.

Fan tolerance/support to this type of behaviour quickly found itself transferring onto sport rinks, fields and courts where players oftentimes couldn’t care less how they were perceived by fans- including impressionable young children.

Good Bye to a “Wonderful Myth”?

Hey Kids

The era of “wholesome heroes” or “card board good guys” has taken a huge blow. Whether this is a positive trend is open to debate. Who would want to idolize a player who on the surface appears “clean cut” but in the confines of his home beats his wife? Why should he earn millions in endorsements living this double life? Is it not right and proper for the news media to report on such vile behaviour?

And let’s not fool ourselves into believing that all was perfect in the “glory days” of sports. The behaviour of some athletes then, as now was less than admirable. For instance, baseball hall of famers such as Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio would sometimes get drunk, go to the top of buildings in New York and urinate down on the people below. Nice. Hockey legend Bobby Hull was a wife beater. Back in his heydays, Hull was regarded by many in the media as a “charming” individual.

Even today, there is a lot of protecting that goes on. For example, when Tiger Wood’s personal troubles first surfaced, ESPN- which made millions off of his capacity to generate ratings- ignored this matter for days, hoping that this story would go away.

Bloggers, though, who do not have to fear losing their jobs or sponsors kept this story going. Tiger and the like though are the exception. Going after super stars affects sports broadcast network’s bottom lines. The last thing that say NBC Sports wants to do is tarnish its “hockey brand” by producing negative stories of players- not when it has invested billions into this product.

There is money though in dishing-out dirt. The news media industry- not tied in with sister sports networks- is not in the business of creating sports mythologies. It focuses on raw realities. As a result, the “truth” is now out. Athletes are now being exposed as “real” human beings and not as “demigods.”

A Fun House Mirror Perspective

What clouds-up this issue of the media and its coverage of sports stars is that none of us truly knows the full story of most star athletes. We don’t know if they are good, bad or something in between. In many respects, what we have is a “fun house mirror” perspective.

Former U.S. President Barak Obama best explained this concept in an interview with Fox News host Bill O’Reilly prior to the 2011 Super Bowl when the O’Reilly asked Obama what he thought of all those people who hate him. It really summarizes the above discussion on how our views of famous people can be distorted. Here is what was said:

O'REILLY: I asked this to President Bush when I talked to him a few weeks ago. Does it disturb you that so many people hate you? No. I mean, it's a serious question. OBAMA: You know, the truth is, that the people -- and I'm sure previous presidents would say the same thing, whether it was Bush or Clinton or Reagan or anybody. The people who dislike you don't know you. O'REILLY: They hate you. OBAMA: Even -- the folks who hate you, they don't know you. O'REILLY: That's true. OBAMA: What they hate is whatever funhouse mirror image of you that's out there. And they don't know you. And so, you don't take it personally. O'REILLY: No. You don't ever? OBAMA: No. Because you know that if you just... O'REILLY: Doesn't it annoy you sometimes? OBAMA: You know, look, I think that by the time you get here, you have to have had a pretty thick skin. If you didn't, then you probably wouldn't have gotten here.

Hero Worship And Corporate Spin And The Reverse Funhouse Mirror

A big part of our society’s hero worship of athletes is corporate driven. Over and over again we “see” them in ads in idealized ways. Their images tend to be reverse versions of the funhouse mirrors described above. Take Wayne “the Great One” Gretzky for example. His corporate sponsors and their PR firm experts have made him the ultimate Canadian- despite the fact that he hasn’t lived in Canada for years. His kids want nothing to do with our country. He wanted out of Edmonton because he liked the tinsel of Los Angeles. According to biographer, Stephen Blunt, he has nothing but bitter memories of his hometown of Branford. He literally threw his wife Janet onto the bus during the hockey gambling scandal of 2008 and yet, is there anyone more “Canadian” and “wholesome” than Wayne?

Personally, I miss the days when athletes were less “managed” by their agents, PR consultants and corporate sponsors. Take Muhammad Ali. Here was the first universal sports superstar who did it all on his own- and not by selling boxing gloves, razor blades, cars, trucks, running shoes, watches or golf clubs. Check out his raw homespun appeal by clicking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIk6dK0iKso

Who has come even remotely as close to Ali in terms of individually bringing his or her sport to the forefront without some corporate backing?

We Also Turn A Blind Eye

As noted above, right up to the late 1960’s to early 1970’s, the media turned a blind eye to the disgusting actions of their sports heroes. Athletes were instead made into “mythical” heroic figures. In the surest sense of the word, they were made into “idols”- unreal, idealized representations of human beings. Even to this day, few of us want to know the truth about those whom we admire.

I remember watching the infamous OJ Simpson car chase, praying that he be safe and refusing to believe that this person whom I deeply admired would be safely taken by the police and proven his innocence. What a chump.

And then there’s Lance Armstrong. How many of us wanted to turn a blind eye on this athlete to the United States Anti Doping Agency`s (USADA) decision in August of 2012 to strip him of his 7 Tour de France titles?

So What Makes These Guys Go So Bad?

There’s a ton of theories. Here goes a few of them.

Back in the summer of 2007, CNN had a discussion segment on this matter with former star NFL running back Eugene “Mercury” Morris. Morris, a recovering drug addict, is now assisting other athletes in their struggles with fame and fortune. I can’t recall the name of the interviewer but let me paraphrase some of Eugene Morris’ controversial comments concerning many of today’s athletes. The interview came about as a result of the CNN’s interest in the Michael Vick controversy.

“There are a couple of reasons why Michael Vick and his generation of players are why they are. According to the NEA’s (National Education Association) statistics, in 1965, the NEA’s top three problems in (U.S) high schools were 1) running in the hallways; 2) talking in class and 3) being late. Chewing gum was the fourth major problem in the country.

In 1985, the top three issues were: 1) teen violence; 2) teen pregnancy; and 3) teen drug abuse. Now in 2007, you have a generation that has grown up under teen violence, pregnancy and drug abuse. As a result, the “gene pool” that the NFL and everyone else has to choose players from high school comes from this feeder system.” And has this situation changed for the better since 2007?

Morris feels that players are simply not given enough preparation for all the trappings involved with professional sports. The NFL, for example, only has a 4 day “rookie symposium” to help new players cope with fame, fortune and the pressures associated with this sport. As he puts it,

“Think of lottery winners. How many manage to hold on to their winnings or mess-up their lives? The professional leagues coddle these young athletes with giving them adequate copping skills.”

Eugene Morris is right. Owners don’t care what happens to their players in the long run. All that matters to them is that these athletes deliver results while playing.

Economist Adam Smith argued that wealth magnifies a person’s failings. He was probably right. Michael Vick’s $130M contract certainly revealed an ugly component of this very gifted athlete.

Most, especially really young players, squander their talents through big fat lucrative contracts. Put yourself in their shoes. Knowing who you currently are, imagine how much partying and high living you would do when all of a sudden you were given $2-3M a year? LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi said that this is the hardest thing for NHL managers these days. They are forced to sign players to huge deals or lose them to free agency and most are not emotionally ready for fame and fortune.

"Spoiled-Athlete Syndrome”

Sports athletes are human beings with human failings. Most come into prominence in their early 20’s.

Imagine how you would behave if you:

· earned $10M a year for playing a game plus an additional $20-100M in endorsement deals

· had the power to force your manager to fire your “incompetent” 55 year old coach and

· was literally worshipped by a legion of fans.

I’m not trying to make excuses here, but this sudden wealth, power and prominence surely carries with it the potential to negatively alter an individual’s character.

In an interview with nerve.com, Steven Ortiz, an Oregon State sociology professor and author of several published studies on athletes' bad behaviors, would describe sports figures like Mike Richards as having “spoiled-athlete syndrome.”

According to Ortiz, it begins early in their sports socialization:

“From the time they could be picked out of a line-up because of their exceptional athletic ability, they've been pampered and catered to by coaches, classmates, teammates, family members and partners. As they get older, this becomes a pattern. Because they're spoiled, they feel they aren't accountable for their behaviors off the field. They're so used to people looking the other way." (Kelley, “They’re Not Role Models”)

At the same time, fame and fortune forces athletes to become more insular. That is, yes- they have tons of money to blow on sex, drugs and rock n’ roll- nevertheless they also have to be on guard 24-7 in terms of protecting their marketing image, wealth, and personhood from crazed fans, the scandal loving media, gamblers, sleazy managers, shady businessmen, and gold-diggers.

Clinical psychologist, Dr. Christi Wise, who has worked with celebrities, also points out the psychological impact fame and fortune has on celebrities. These people have,

“... divulged feelings of isolation, mistrust and paranoia, a tremendous fear of losing their fame, and often a skewed or confused sense of self.” (Wise, "The Psychological Impact”).

Hardwired To Party

The reality is that most people are not hardwired to handle sudden fame and fortune. According to research, the human brain undergoes massive changes and does not reach maturity until 20 or 30 years old. (Leadbeater, “Seeing the teenager”) (Let emphasize here that this is not the case for everyone but for many individuals). Now throw in the oodles of testosterone that these young men possess- only ramped-up further through intense exercise and performance enhancing drugs, and NASA, we have a problem. “A Fool And His Money Is Soon Parted.” There’s a wise old saying by Solomon that states: “A fool and his money is soon parted.” Or for athletes, it’s principally “partied” away. These young men are given far too much far too soon. And they’re not fully developed brains are not equipped to hold on to the millions that they make given most principally play their sports when they are from 20-30 years of age. How fast do athletes blow their millions? Faster than you can imagine. A shocking 2009 Sports Illustrated article by Pablo S. Torre , for example, reported that 78 per cent of former NFL players were bankrupt or under financial stress two years after retirement. Yikes! NBA players are a little bit better with their money handling skills. Almost 60 per cent of them go broke within five years of retiring. (Torre, “How (and Why)”) According to Torre, the main reasons for this are wild and lavish living; heeding bad advice; and losing oodles of their wealth in costly divorce and child support settlements. In his article, Mr. Torre points out that listening to bad financial advice- either from unqualified family or friends; or from shady characters is a very big reason most of these athletes suffer financial woes. No wonder, given their high degree of paranoia that Dr. Wise points out above. Who would you trust to protect your millions? Someone who has walked off the street and claims to be on your side or someone you have known all of your life? Divorce and family support payments are also burn-up their fortunes. The divorce rate among pro athletes ranges from 60-80 per cent, with husbands routinely losing half their net worth. (Torre, “How (and Why)”) Ouch. Two Words (we’ll sort of): Pre-nup. It doesn't help when a player like Travis Henry has nine children with nine different women and has his fortune sapped by monthly child-support payments! Here’s proud papa with six of his little darlings:. Given Mr. Henry’s financial woes, he might consider investing in and/or endorsing the following product to help pay for his inseminating prowess. ;-) Again, these things should not come as a surprise. Most athletes are not fully matured humans. Are they really ready for steady relationships when they’re on the road more than half the year and end-up in situations where fans are readily making themselves sexually available for them? According to Torre, athletes also lose a ton of their earnings simply because there are great expectations for these people to live large. That is, it’s an ego thing. If you don’t flash your wealth, you don’t appear to have made it. (Torre, “How (and Why)”) Indeed, most players have a “go big or go home” mentality. I would further add though that their competitive natures also make them go wild on their spending habits. These people literally have to keep up with the Jones’- meaning that “if so and so has a _______, then I will need an even greater special addition of it.” Finally, we should also take into account that since most professional athletes play in team sports, they tend to be very “peer-driven” people. As a result, if the vast majority of players on a club are living high off the hog and one is not, he’ll get razzed about it in the locker room. Peer pressure at times can be overwhelming- even for the most fiscally disciplined of people. The obvious solution to these problems is to convince young athletes to hire trustworthy management teams. The problem though is that since many are mentally immature, they will fire anyone who dares to pull an intervention of sorts on them. Instead, they will heed the advice of their inner circle/entourage which consists of enablers- usually “trustworthy”/ “we’ve got your back” guys that they grew up with. Most of these gentlemen though re of the same age and equally as immature. They too, succumb to the temptations of their rich buddy’s lifestyle. Likewise, many of their parents are also ill equipped to help them deal with fame and fortune; as they also are trying to cope with all the money that they have now all landed into from their mega rich sons. So it’s the blind leading the blind here. No wonder so many rock stars end-up dead by 27. Few people this age and profession are hardwired to be fully mature. And in their line of work, their immaturity (usually combined with pre-fame psychological trauma issues) allows their minds to be creative. It also sets the stage for them to be world class partiers and/or jerks. Given all of the factors above then, is it any wonder then, that Lebron James behaved so incredibly immature and narcissistic when he announced his “decision” to play for the Miami Heat on a one hour ESPN reality show special.

“Wa” About Culture?

Finally, how much of this bad or weird behaviour by athletes is cultural? That is, people get away with whatever others allow them to get away with. In Japan, for example, they just won’t tolerate poor behavior from its athletes- superstars included. In this culture, the concept of group harmony or “wa” is is king.

There is a Japanese proverb that succinctly summarizes what “wa” is and what is expected of everyone including superstar athletes,

“The nail that sticks up shall be hammered down.”

In this culture, a player’s behaviour is often considered as important as his batting average.

Back in 1985 for instance, pitcher Takashi Nishimoto of The Tokyo Giants, ignored the instructions of his coach and got punched in between the eyes by his coach. Not only that, Nishimoto was forced to pay a fine of 100,000 yen and apologize for insubordination. Imagine something like that happening here. Not in a million years.

Traitors or Heroes?

And what about athletes who take a courageous stand on a social or political issue? For example, the late great boxer Muhammad Ali chose going to jail than serving in the Viet Nam war. Former basketball superstar Steve Nash , at the prime of his career took a strong stand against the US’ invasion of Iraq. African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave a Black Power solute during the 1968 Olympic games. More recently, Lebron James voiced his support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Football quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat down during the U.S. national anthem in support of this movement. All of them were willing to suffer the consequences for taking their positions.

One person’s hero might be another person’s traitor. Regardless of your opinion on this matter, all of these stars used their huge profiles as platforms of debate on very important political and social issues.

Who Would You Consider to Be a Sports Hero?

Having pointed out the negative social change that has taken place in sport with regards to its influence on children- there are still plenty of athletes and sports figures worthy of our their attention. Here is just a brief list- some of whom you might disagree with based on your politics:

· Terry Fox and his marathon of hope?

· Paul Henderson and his historic game winning goal in 1972?

· Former Arizona Cardinal safety Pat Tilman who sacrificed his life and enormous player income for his country?

· The late Roger Nielsen and his ability to forgive of the mean spirited actions of Bobby Clarke- who fired him from his coaching job while he had cancer?

· Annika Sorenstam and her attempt to play in the PGA?

· Hockey player Saku Koivu his triumphant battle with cancer and his return back to action?

Here are a few others who, if not considered heroes, certainly possess noble characteristics worthy of recognition and honour.

· Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft pick Rocky Blier, had also been drafted by the U.S. Army. The team told him that they could pull some strings and keep him out of harm’s way by serving the National Guard. He refused. On August 20, 1969 while on patrol in Heip Duc, Vietnam, a rifle shot tore through his left thigh and shrapnel from a grenade pierced his right foot and lower right leg. You would think that this would have ended Blier’s career. Nope. He was determined not only to walk normally but do everything in his power to return to the Steelers. Not only did hie pull this off, he became a starter for the Steelers, a 1,000-yard rusher and a four-time Super Bowl champion.

· Here’s a quick video on this remarkable human being: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bleier/091110&sportCat=nfl

· Baseball player Jeremy Affeldt returned $500,000 to San Francisco Giants after noticing clerical error in his contract. Legally, he could have kept this money that was never intended to be included in his contract but as a devout professing Christian, he could not do so.

· NBA PRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=[ Just Say YES! ]"Coach Rick Pitino while with the Boston Celtics helped raise more than $2 million to help fund research for treatment of MATERNAL & FETAL complications.

· Finnish hockey player Teemu Selanne often spends time in hospitals with kids who are seriously ill. One parent commented on a Selanne’s visit with his son, "And when Teemu and the other people came in the room it was like a fresh breeze, fresh air. It was like a prophet entered the room, an angel. He was not a hockey player. He was not a celebrity. He was not anything but a dad. A dad came in and he treated him like a son."

· PRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=[ Just Say YES! ]"Golfer Casey Martin presses on despite suffering from "Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome" -- his leg swells & bleeds internally and it causes him great suffering. He may eventually have to have it amputated.

Hisued the PGA for the right to compete using a cart and won. The PGA though says it will "appeal" the decision. s leg is in constant, horrific pain. He can't walk the golf course as other pros do. He needs to use a cart, which is against the rules in the PGA (Professional Golf Association). Martin

· Baseball player Steve Finley launched a foundation to help battered women, and to benefit the Children's Hospital in San Diego. Finley and his family say they are very concerned about domestic violence, and rather than just talk about it, they plan to raise and disburse funds to women's shelters.

· Former St. Louis Cardinal slugger, now Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Albert Pujols, a devout Christian, and mega, mega, mega millionaire, adopted a daughter with Down Syndrome and is well known in the Dominican Republic for his very generous philanthropy.

· Chi Chi Rodriguez (PGA Senior Tour) has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for children's causes through the years. He uses his celebrity to promote the causes of children with diseases and disabilities.

The Inspirational Jim Abbott

Despite being born with no right hand, pitcher Jim Abbott went on to a successful 10 year major league career, winning 87 games on 4 different MLB teams is significant enough but doing it with a disability is extraordinary. People like Abbott are an inspiration to all of us. And to think that some baseball players need performance enhancing drugs to succeed in this game.

Don't Call Jocks Sports 'Heroes'

George Bryjak, a sociology professor from the University of San Diego wrote an interesting and controversial column in USA Today back in August of 2002 on his definition of a hero. Much of his analysis was based on the reeling shock of post 9/11 America and the need to restore the true meaning of the word “hero.”

Basically, Bryjak argued that the words "athlete" and "hero" don't belong in the same sentence.

“For all of the passions that surround the games we play and watch, they are just that: games with limited social relevance beyond entertainment. Designating athletes as heroic because of the strength, speed and physical agility they exhibit as competitors makes about as much sense as confirming that lofty status on racehorses or acrobatic dolphins at Sea World.”

According to Bryjak, there are three types or categories of heroism:

· “Active heroes risk injury or death during the course of their actions: the firefighters who charged up the World Trade Center to render aid while everyone else was trying to escape (some who perished were off-duty at the time); the police officer hoping for a non-lethal resolution who waits that extra second before firing on an armed assailant; Doctors Without Borders physicians who may contract fatal diseases from the very people they are trying to help.

· Accidental heroes rise to the occasion during extraordinary circumstances: the passengers who confronted the terrorists on the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania and prevented another suicide attack.

· Passive heroes are those whose selfless work contributes to the betterment of society: the recent college graduate who turns down a lucrative position and joins the Peace Corps; the single mother who works two jobs, supports three children and still finds time to do charity work.”

For Bryjak, to consider an All-Pro quarterback or home-run hitter as a hero “trivializes” the meaning of this word. He concluded his column by stating:

“In the bygone days of myth and legend, heroes were thought to be favored by the gods, and, in part, descended from them. If so many of today's self-indulgent, egotistical athletes are descendants of supernatural beings, then, as the title of the movie suggests, the gods must be crazy.” (Bryjak, “Don't call jocks sports 'heroes,'”)

What do you think? Is Bryjak right or is he overreacting based on the time that he wrote this article?

Heroism And Sportsmanship

The Bravest Soccer Players Ever

In 1942, a Ukrainian soccer team, Dynamo Kiev refused to throw a series of “friendly matches” to a one fielded by Nazi Germany. They received dire warnings from a German officer who stormed into the team's dressing room and ordered them "not to play so keenly" - threatening to shoot them if they did not obey. They went on to trounce the Nazi squad on the field. Tragically, most of this team’s members were executed.

Jesse Owens and Luz Long

In the 1936, the Olympic Games were held in Berlin, Germany. The Nazis portrayed African-Americans as inferior and ridiculed the United States for relying on "black auxiliaries." One German official even complained about the Americans letting “non-humans,” like Owens and other ‘Negro’ athletes," to compete.

Interestingly enough, though, the German people in attendance during these games felt otherwise. Crowds of 110,000 cheered Owens in Berlin's Olympic Stadium and his autograph or picture was widely sought after as he walked this city’s streets.

On August 3, Owens won his first medal, taking the 100 meters in 10.3, edging out Ralph Metcalfe, also an African-American.

The next day, he was almost out of the long jump shortly after qualifying began. He fouled on his first two jumps- though he was stunned when officials counted a practice run down the runway and into the pit as an attempt. (Some things never change. Corruption during the Olympic Games is one of them).

With one jump remaining, Luz Long, a tall, blue-eyed, blond German long jumper who was his stiffest competition, introduced himself. He suggested that Owens make a mark several inches before the takeoff board and jump from there to play it safe. Owens took the advice, and qualified.

In the finals that afternoon, Long's fifth jump matched Owens' 25-10. But Owens leaped 26-3¾ on his next attempt and won the gold medal with a final jump of 26-5½. The first to congratulate the Olympic record holder was Long.

"It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler," Owens said. "You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn't be a plating on the 24-karat friendship I felt for Luz Long at that moment. Hitler must have gone crazy watching us embrace. The sad part of the story is I never saw Long again. He was killed in World War II." Owens, though, would continue to correspond with Long's family.

In the 200-meter dash on August 5, Owens won in an Olympic record of 20.7 seconds, beating out Mack Robinson, the older brother of Jackie Robinson- the first Black person to be allowed to play Major League Baseball.

That was supposed to be the end of Owens' Olympic participation. But from out of the blue, Owens and Metcalfe replaced Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, the only Jews on the U.S. track team, on the 4x100-meter relay.

The rumour was that the Nazi hierarchy had asked U.S. officials not to humiliate Germany further by using two Jews to add to the gold medals the African-Americans already had won. Glickman blamed U.S. Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage for acquiescing to the Nazis.

Owens, a-pack-a-day smoker for 35 years, died of lung cancer at age 66 on March 31, 1980 in Tucson, Arizona.

Four years later, a street in Berlin was renamed in his honour.

A decade after his death, President George Bush Sr. posthumously awarded Owens the Congressional Medal of Honor. Bush called Owens’ victories in Berlin "an unrivalled athletic triumph, but more than that, a triumph for all humanity."

And indeed, what he accomplished went way above athleticism. Owens made a mockery of Hitler’s racial theories right in the midst of this lion’s den. Could you imagine the pressure that he must have been under to succeed for black Americans while having little support from then very white racist America? His actions also helped to break down some of the barriers hatred. After all, it’s hard to simultaneously cheer for an athlete representing your country while hating him.

What Luz Long did was truly heroic and typifies the meaning of sportsmanship. He knew what the consequences might be for supporting Owens. And, yet, he did the “right” thing.

What’s the best display of sportsmanship that you have seen?

One that immediately that comes to mind for me was in the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes. During the last 5 minutes of the final game where the Canes were leading by a large margin, then coach Paul Maurice got his players to tap their sticks for opposing goalie Jose Theodore who was replaced by his backup. They also did not take any shots on goal. Theodore who was rock solid throughout the series had a bad night due to injury and out of respect for him, Carolina recognized his efforts.

I know that this sounds unrelated but it actually connects, my father-in-law used to say when he was alive, “I like to donate to the Salvation Army because they never kick a man when he is down.”

Wasn’t this action along those same lines? For me it was a very classy move- something that is so rare these days. You never need to rub a victory in your opponent’s face. There’s the classy way to lose and there’s a classy way to win.

Jack Sock's Awesome Sportsmanship

The following video found on YouTube is a wonderful example of true sportsmanship. During a Hopman Cup match in August of 2016, U.S. tennis player Jack Sock advised his Australian opponent Lleyton Hewitt to challenge a very close call made an umpire. Hewitt was stunned. Who does stuff like that?! A stand-up guy/true gentleman. That’s who.

Check it out: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5mHjvFpsjLk

Now here is an opposite example:

BC Hockey Coach Trips 13 Year Old Player In Handshake

The following clip is that of a hockey coach deliberately tripping a player during a post game handshake. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aTDCZIhcY8&feature=g-logo-xit

Back in February of 2013, a Minnesota high school goalie named Austin Krause, playing for Farmington High, deliberately scored on his own team and then followed this up by giving the middle finger salute to the school’s coaches and fans. Prior to this deliberate act of sabotage, Krause’s team was leading 2-1 over the Chaska Soar Hawks with three minutes remaining. Farmington ended-up losing in regulation, 3-2.

Krause explained himself after the game on his Facebook page, according to the Farmington Independent, by saying: “

They played this sophomore goalie for the starter, he was terrible, I would try and talk to the coaches about this and tell them I want playing time but they never really listen to me or gave me a chance to show them that I'm a better goalie but still wouldn't trust me so I had it it with I asked a few of my players if they care if I did it and they didn't care they thought it would be funny so at the third period they dumped it in I stopped it put in my net started to skate off then flicked the coaches not the team the coaches then I saluted them then got off My hockey season is over. I did it for myself.”

Classy, Eh?

If you want to see this act of poor sportsmanship on video, check it out at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2278366/Bad-loser-High-school-hockey-goalie-deliberately-scores-goal-flips-coach-skates-losing-starting-position.html

What’s the worst display of sportsmanship that you have ever encountered? Feel free to comment on the discussion board on this topic if it appeals to you.

Summary

There is no doubt that society has profoundly changed as has sport. The issues involving sports heroes and role models are open to vigorous debate. Should the words “hero” and “athlete” even be mixed together? Not if we want this word to mean what it is intended to mean.

Former basketball great, Charles Barkley could argue that he was not a role model. He was right to argue that the job of raising children is not an athlete’s but a parent’s. And indeed, there is no doubt that parents should assume the majority of responsibility in this area. The problem is though, that for many at risk children, athletes ARE incredible role models. No professional player can walk away repeating the mantra “it’s the parent’s job.” The bottom line is that they too are role models- whether they want to be or not.

Works Cited

Arthur, Bruce. “2010 in Sport: LeBron’s distasteful Decision” National Post. December 27, 2010.

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2010/12/27/2010-in-sport-lebrons-distasteful-decision/

Benham, Bob. “Role Models in Sports: An Endangered Species?” Youth Sports Institute 1994

< http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/ysi/1994%20Winter%20Role%20Model1.htm >.

Bryjak, George J. “Don't call jocks sports 'heroes,'” USA Today Online 2 Aug. 2002

< http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2002/02/18/ncguest2.htm >.

Kelley,Raina. “They’re Not Role Models: Why we should stop worshiping athletes—unless they're on the field.” Newsweek .   Mar 11, 2010.

< http://www.newsweek.com/2010/03/10/they-re-not-role-models.html >.

Leadbeater, Elli. “Seeing the teenager in the brain.” BBC News. September 8, 2006.

< http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/5327550.stm >.

MacQueen, Ken. “Bobby Orr: How we’re killing hockey.”MacLean’s. October 17, 2013.

< http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/10/17/on-being-left-broke-and-betrayed-pushy-rinkside-parents-and-the-future-of-the-game/ >.

Posnanski, Joe. “The Case Against Lebron.” Joeposnanski.blogspot.com. June 15, 2011

< http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2011/06/case-for-rooting-against-lebron.html >.

Todd, Jack. “Despite damning evidence, the myth of Lance Armstrong persists” Montreal Gazette. Monday, October 22.

< http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=c95b76e1-1703-4d04-a655-4afbb34e482c >.

Torre, Pablo S. “How (and Why)”)Athletes Go Broke.” Sports Illustrated. March 23, 2009

< http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1153364 >.

Wise, Christy. "The Psychological Impact of Being in the Spotlight ." Ezine Articles January 10, 2010 .

< http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Psychological-Impact-of-Being-in-the-Spotlight&id=3560836 >.

Did you:

Read the online materials for this unit?

Are you now able to:

· Define the meaning of heroes and assess this definition as it applies to athletes?

· Better articulate your position on whether athletes should be considered role models?

If so, you are now ready to proceed to the next unit.