Monday, January 03, 2005
Don't call jocks sports 'heroes'
George J. Bryjak has a lot to say about how we treat athletes as "hero's" and put them on pedestals they don't deserve in his op/ed at USATODAY.com - Don't call jocks sports 'heroes'. He is upset about how the US snowboarding team was heralded as more than just role models. Bryjak quotes many journalists:
"The three young men were "genuine American heroes" ... "the most recent U.S. Olympic heroes" ... "the most unlikeliest of heroes" ... "treated like national heroes." One writer even gushed: "No, this was not your average day on the slopes, unless your average day ends with an Olympic hero saying, 'I've never tried to pick up a girl using a silver medal.' "
Do hero's really use their status to pick up chicks? Not real ones. But snowboarders are not hero's, even if they might be the best in the world. I'm sorry, but as I keep saying running, jumping and playing with balls or riding a piece of plastic down a snow covered hill does not automatically make one a person deserving of public honor or being referred to as "hero".
It just degrades the word. Heros are the guys who jump into the line of fire to save children or the guy who runs into your burning house for a living. They are people who sacrifice of themselves for the greater good of others. I don't think winning a snowboarding medal really does much to further our greater good. It's fun to watch and they are capable of some amazing things. They deserve much recognition for their skill and accomplishments, but heros is not a word I would choose to describe these amazing individuals.
Bryjak makes me laugh when he says:
"One would think that after Sept. 11 we would finally realize that "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."
Funny, but dead on. Being strong or fast or agile does not make you a hero, even if you win silver medals that will help you pick up hot chicks.
Thank God not all athletes think this way:
Some athletes appreciate the difference. "We're not heroes," San Francisco Giants shortstop Rich Aurilia said after Sept. l1. "We're playing a game. The real heroes are the people who are out there clearing the rubble and the people who gave their lives to save others."
Well said Rich. I wish more jocks were like this guy.
Check out the article for some great thoughts about heroism and the problems we have as a society deciding who is deserving of this most noble title and how awarding it to athletes for doing their jobs is degrading to everyone.
"The three young men were "genuine American heroes" ... "the most recent U.S. Olympic heroes" ... "the most unlikeliest of heroes" ... "treated like national heroes." One writer even gushed: "No, this was not your average day on the slopes, unless your average day ends with an Olympic hero saying, 'I've never tried to pick up a girl using a silver medal.' "
Do hero's really use their status to pick up chicks? Not real ones. But snowboarders are not hero's, even if they might be the best in the world. I'm sorry, but as I keep saying running, jumping and playing with balls or riding a piece of plastic down a snow covered hill does not automatically make one a person deserving of public honor or being referred to as "hero".
It just degrades the word. Heros are the guys who jump into the line of fire to save children or the guy who runs into your burning house for a living. They are people who sacrifice of themselves for the greater good of others. I don't think winning a snowboarding medal really does much to further our greater good. It's fun to watch and they are capable of some amazing things. They deserve much recognition for their skill and accomplishments, but heros is not a word I would choose to describe these amazing individuals.
Bryjak makes me laugh when he says:
"One would think that after Sept. 11 we would finally realize that "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."
Funny, but dead on. Being strong or fast or agile does not make you a hero, even if you win silver medals that will help you pick up hot chicks.
Thank God not all athletes think this way:
Some athletes appreciate the difference. "We're not heroes," San Francisco Giants shortstop Rich Aurilia said after Sept. l1. "We're playing a game. The real heroes are the people who are out there clearing the rubble and the people who gave their lives to save others."
Well said Rich. I wish more jocks were like this guy.
Check out the article for some great thoughts about heroism and the problems we have as a society deciding who is deserving of this most noble title and how awarding it to athletes for doing their jobs is degrading to everyone.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]