One thing that gets me as a sports journalist and a sports fan is the way that sports commentators throw around the word “”hero.””
Too often, I will hear a television or radio announcer use the word when referring to athletes and their performances. More often than not, the performance is all but heroic. An athlete will do his job really well under difficult conditions, and he will thus be referred to as a hero.
This is preposterous.
A running back ran for over 200 yards with 40 carries during this year’s NFL playoffs. The announcer who was covering the game had the gall to refer to it as “”a heroic effort.”” Heroic? Please.
Yes, it was difficult, strenuous, even gutsy. Hell, I know I could not carry the ball 40 times for over 200 yards against a playoff defense. I doubt many of you readers could do it. But if I could, would it be heroic? Hardly. Well, maybe if it were in the name of skinny journalists of average height, then it might be heroic. But otherwise, no.
A pitcher will throw nine innings of one-hit baseball during a big game. It will be called “”heroic.”” Was it heroic? No, it should be called “”doing his job.””
The term “”heroic”” should be reserved for true heroes. The thousands who have died during wars in the name of America are heroic. Firefighters and policemen are heroic. A doctor who volunteers time in developing countries is a hero. Those scientists fighting AIDS are heroic. Santa Claus is heroic. Harriet Tubman was heroic. The list goes on and on.
Heroes are those who help mankind, save mankind and try to better mankind. They are not football players who run for a lot of yards or basketball players who lead their teams to victory. They may look good, but not heroic.
That is not to say that there are not athletes out there who are heroes. There are plenty of heroic athletes, and their heroism spreads beyond the field or court.
The one that sticks out the most is Jackie Robinson. He went through so much shit in breaking the color barrier that few of us can understand. He is a hero not only to African Americans but to anyone who has experienced prejudice.
Sean Elliot of the San Antonio Spurs is another athlete hero. He had a kidney transplant and still came back to play in the NBA. Before, if there was something wrong with your kidney, you were best off calling your lawyer to work on your will. Elliot proved that now, even though you may be down, you are never out.
Magic Johnson is another such athlete, much like in the Elliot theme. He came back with HIV to play some more in the NBA. He now tours and raises money for various charities. Definite hero.
All those baseball players who gave up the best years of their life to fight during World War II are heroes.
Just think of what Ted Williams’ stats would have looked like, had he not lost those prime years fighting overseas. Can you picture that happening today, if the United States got into a major military conflict on the level of WWII? I can just picture the greedy self-congratulatory athletes of today complaining about how the war is interrupting their rhythms.
The list of athlete heroes goes on. It includes the NFL’s work with United Way, Dikembe Mutombo and his work in his homeland of Nigeria, Arthur Ashe and his color barrier-breaking and AIDS-fighting greatness, and many more.
A hero is someone extra special, one who does something extraordinary, something that goes beyond the regular bullshit. An athlete having a great game is great to talk about around the water cooler, but he is not a hero.
