Over the past few months, we've
seen countless athletes fail to live up
to their responsibilities as role models.
In many ways, we've come to a
point where we expect our heroes to
disappoint us, much like the season
premiere of NBC's Heroes. We're
constantly bombarded by stories of all
that is wrong in sports. Bonds, Vick,
Ankiel, Pacman, OJ (again), all athletes
who could have been celebrated;
instead, they've all found themselves
in the news for the wrong reasons this
summer.
Is all hope lost in sports? Will the
next Billy Crystal produce 756* twenty
years from now? Will Dartmouth lower
the ridiculous prices at its new cereal
bar? Athletes can still be role models;
it's just a matter of looking beyond
the media-driven negativity. With that
in mind, I'd like to take a look at two
athletes who represent the best sports
has to offer.
While the man who was supposed
to revolutionize the quarterback
position was busy throwing dogs into
the ring, another was busy throwing
touchdown passes. For those who
missed it, "Something About Mary's"
Brett Favre passed "Ace Ventura's"
Dan Marino for the all-time touchdown
record. Favre has been bashed in recent
years for having hung around for
too long, but he's enjoying a marked
resurgence this season. He's been a
great football player for longer than
the freshmen have been alive, but he's
also someone young Americans can
proudly admire. Like most heroes, he
is not without flaws, having overcome
a public battle with addiction, but the
grace with which he has grown as
an individual is inspiring. Favre's life
has been an open book, the good and
the bad. His father's death, his wife's
cancer, his personal losses in Hurricane
Katrina, Favre has had to deal
with them all while under the glare of
the public eye. Throughout it all, he's
remained a great Green Bay Packer,
showing up to play week after week,
through injuries and tragedies alike.
Graceful as Favre, Derek Jeter is
another hero of mine. Now before all
the Yankee-haters tear me apart, understand
what makes a hero. I've grown
up with Jeter. He helped deliver four
championships to New York during my
most formative years. He's constantly
given his all, and sometimes his body,
for New York, something all Yankees
fans are proud of. I'll be the first to admit
that he's not perfect. He's not the best
defensive shortstop and he does have
an occasionally unnecessary flair for
the dramatic. But few would question
him as a role model.
It's easy to become disillusioned
by the concept of heroes in sports.
With so much negativity in the sports
world, it's easy to look for heroes in
other walks of life. Still, the role of
heroes in sports remains important.
Right or wrong, athletes are often the
first public figures to which we attach
ourselves. We can only hope that the
athlete-hero doesn't become a thing of
the past.
