Nick Capena of the San Diego Union Tribune feels that our country all too easily labels our athletes as “heroes” despite their dramatic lives. He cites recently deceased Steve McNair as an example, saying he was a talented athlete undeserving of the “hero” tag because of his adulterous relations.
They do not save lives on operating tables. They do not put on badges every day. They do not rush to put out fires. They do not teach our children for paltry sums.
Steve McNair did not die a hero, but then, he never was one. He was a football player, a quarterback, one of the NFL’s great combatants while with the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens. By all accounts he was a terrific team leader and clubhouse presence and did so many things for the Nashville community.
But McNair was found dead a week ago yesterday in his Nashville, Tenn., condo, shot to death by his girlfriend, who police say then turned the gun on herself. McNair was married, with four sons, and he reportedly was about to leave his assassin, 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, for another woman. He was an adulterer, far less fortunate than many athletes who can wear the same label.
This is not a black-and-white thing. It is not a brown or yellow thing. Was Mark McGwire a hero? Ken Caminiti? Nicole Bobek? Tonya Harding? Is Jason Giambi? Michael Phelps?
So they disappoint us, our “heroes.” And yet, because we are what we have become, because the dumbing down of America seems to have no finish line or end zone, we can’t go to sleep at night without their posters on our bedroom walls. We must have their jerseys and wear their shoes.
It’s a pretty annoying article if you ask me. It’s unfair to say that just because you own an athlete’s jersey or have their poster on your wall that this individual is one of your heroes. And I don’t know where Capena is getting the impression from that American adults view athletes as heroes. If anybody thinks this, it’s children, primarily because the athlete plays the sport they play at the time. However, children can’t necessarily distinguish between a “role model” and a “hero.” There’s a big difference between admiring and idolizing someone. Most adults understand this discrepancy, and I don’t know anybody over 20 who would legitimately claim an athlete is their hero and somebody they aspire to be like. There’s obviously much more to be discussed about this subject, but I think it’s a waste of our time. Capena is broaching a monotonous topic. Athletes are not heroes to most American sports fans. They’re heroes to children who don’t know any better. To most of us, at the end of the day, athletes are just entertainers.
