Who's your hero?

A reprint of my July 9 SlapShots column published in the Woodford Sun

Have you heard?

Michael Jackson died!

Of course you’ve heard. How could you not? The story dominated news coverage. You couldn’t turn on a television, listen to a radio show or even log onto the Web without finding yourself inundated by Jackson. Amazingly, coverage of the pop star’s death rivaled that of the protests in Iran and completely overshadowed debate in the U.S. House on cap and trade legislation – potentially one of the most far reaching laws ever passed.

Over two-thirds of Americans say there was too much media coverage, according to a Pew Research poll. Yet while we complained about the excessive coverage, we tuned in in droves. A CBS News special on Jackson boasted 7.5 million viewers and an ABC Jackson recap pulled in 5.7 million viewers on the same night. The three biggest cable news networks averaged 8.2 million viewers in prime-time the day of Jackson’s death. That compares with almost 4.7 million on a typical weeknight, according to Neilson.

It seems something in our nature drives us to elevate celebrities to hero status. Maybe it has to do with what we perceive as the mundane nature of our own lives. Perhaps people find excitement living vicariously through their heroes.

The phenomenon runs rampant in sports as well.

I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with hero worship. I do have my favorite sports figures and entertainers, but I try to keep things in perspective, recognizing that their talent does not make them better human beings than the average Joe.

But I do understand the thrill of meeting a favorite player. I can relate to the sense of awe that comes when watching an athlete perform at the top of his or her sport. I can even shrug off the over-the-top nature some fans display toward their favs.

But I can’t wrap my mind around why fans elevate nasty human beings to hero status – simply based on their ability to hit a ball, make a basket or sing a song.

I lost what little respect I had left for Jackson years ago when he hung his kid over a motel balcony. The man could write a song and cut some dance moves, but as far as I’m concerned the fact that he was a freak and a pervert overshadowed his artistic talent.

Yet society lifts him up and spends weeks obsessing over his passing. The entire world mourns for a man it never really knew. I just don’t get it.

But maybe it’s just me. I don’t get a lot of things.

I don’t get why people insist Pete Rose should enter the Baseball Hall of Fame despite betting on his own sport. I don’t get why thousands flocked to see baseball cheater Manny Ramirez play minor league games while he was serving a Major League Baseball suspension after testing positive for a banned substance. I don’t get why any fan would buy a Terrell Owens jersey after all of his shenanigans.

These folks and others like them have amazing talents. I can appreciate and admire their on the field abilities. I can watch in awe as they blast a homerun or make a gravity defying a touchdown grab, but I just can’t get that excited about people who can’t seem live life as decent human beings.

NBA superstar Charles Barkley once stated, “I don't believe professional athletes should be role models.” He makes a good point. "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?"

Perhaps that’s my problem. Maybe I expect too much. Maybe I should just learn to separate the athletic prowess from the personal life. Perhaps I should be able to cheer the player and ignore the off-court persona. Perhaps I make too much of the athletes life outside of sport.

But really – am I asking too much? Is it too much to expect that our heroes not cheat? That they not beat up their wives or drive drunk? Is it too much that I ask that they not take drugs or roll recklessly through life splattering bystanders with their overblown sense of entitlement?

I think the real problem is that we’ve forgotten what a real hero looks like.

I was at my grandfather’s house not long ago. A frame hangs on the wall in an out of the way spot. Inside that frame rests a purple heart, a bronze star and numerous combat ribbons. My grandfather served in the U.S. Army through World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He’s led a quiet life. Raised a family. Took care of my grandmother as her health failed. I never saw him hit a baseball. He can’t dunk a basketball. He doesn’t have much of a singing voice. But he wove his quiet strength through my life and taught me a lot about manhood.

I’ll always love sports. I will continue to admire certain players and athletes for their performance in the arena of competition. Some I will laud because of what they do off the field. I don’t agree with Barkley; athletes can serve as role models.

But my grandfather will always remain my hero.

Quick Shots

If nothing else, restrictor plate racing in NASCAR makes for some crazy finishes. My wife and I were screaming wildly as our favorite, Kyle Busch, passed Tony Stewart on the final lap of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. But moments later, Busch tried to block Stewart’s attempt to retake the lead and careened into the wall. Kasey Kahne plowed into the back of Busch’s car, lifting the rear of the number 18 Toyota off the track. Busch’s car slammed down onto the hood of Kahne’s as Stewart steered clear to cross the finish line for the win. Busch’s destroyed Toyota slid across for a 14th place finish and then got plowed by Joey Logano. Busch was clearly miffed after the accident and struggled against NASCAR officials as they steered him toward a car to take him to the medical center. Busch wisely refused to comment after the race.

The Tour de France kicked off on July 4. Lance Armstrong amazes me. Can he pull off an eighth win? I’m not sure, but the fact that he’s even competing at that level astonishes me.

Quote of the Week

"I don't want any part of winning a race because the guy who was leading the race got wrecked. I don't know that we did anything wrong. I've seen replays of it, and he's protecting his position, which is what he's got to do. I mean that's what he has to do as a driver. He can't just sit there and let us make a move like that and not try to defend it.”

-Tony Stewart after winning the Coke Zero 400

Puck to the head

This week’s puck to the head flies at TNT for its “Wide Open Coverage” of NASCAR. Wide Open Coverage means that they play the commercials down in the lower right hand corner of the screen while continuing silent coverage of the race on the rest of the screen. I guess I’m supposed to feel like there aren’t any commercials. But I can’t multitask like that. I just end up getting annoyed that my eyes keep gravitating toward the ads. Just cut to the commercials and get it over with. I also have to shoot another puck at former University of Kentucky baseball player Jim Leyritz. You may remember me shooting a puck at his head a few weeks back. He will face trial in a couple of months for DUI manslaughter. He said that the death of the woman he killed driving drunk was “the accident’s fault.” Well, he’s in jail again. This time for allegedly beating up his ex-wife. I wonder whose fault that was?