The sports world seems to be awash with scandal. The Patriots were caught cheating by video-taping their opponents. How long has this been going on? What affect has it had on games in the past? What kind of drab apology was that from the head coach? Players in various sports ranging from baseball to biking are accused of taking performance-enhancing medications. What does that say about their accomplishments? Who is taking them that we don't know about? One quarterback pleads guilty to crimes revolving around dog fighting. What kind of role model is that?
In the early days of Hollywood, the studios went out of their way to shield the public from the rotten character of stars. No one knew that Rock Hudson was gay until the end. Indiscretions of big-named actors were covered up. Who was a communist in the 50's? Hollywood didn't want anyone to know because it hurt the bottom line. Today, of course, Hollywood is synonymous with outlandish behavior. No one is surprised that Brad left Jennifer for Angelina. Big deal. In fact, try to name a couple who hasn't split up in Hollywood. One of the longest running couples, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, aren't even married. And a long-time marriage in the Hollywood set is almost unheard of. Most people think of the Hollywood elite as a group of party-goers, drug users, promiscuous folks. The same is true in the secular music world. Who doesn't equate "sex and drugs" with "rock and roll"? It's a given. We no longer hold these folks to the same standard we did in the first half of the 20th century.
I'm wondering, then, why it is different for sports? I know. It's the "hero" concept. "What is it saying to our kids?" We have all heard the term, "sports hero." Oddly, it doesn't seem like there are other such terms. You never hear "parental hero" or "political hero." You won't find kids collecting cards for their favorite congressional members. You rarely find a teen who says, "I want to grow up to be a senator." In today's climate, in fact, you rarely hear a young person say, "I want to grow up to be a father and husband (or mother and wife), a wage earner, a homemaker" or any such thing. No, the most common is "sports star" it seems.
Why? What is it about sports that galvanizes the attention and makes heroes? They don't accomplish anything. They make money to entertain. We pay large sums to watch them ... play. Well, of course, that's why they're such heroes to kids. What kid wouldn't dream of making lots of money playing. Work is hard; playing is good.
Perhaps we need to shift attention for our kids. While you will find few who think of members of congress, presidents, CEO's, or parents as "heroes," you will be equally hard pressed to find many who think of rogues, scoundrels, thieves, and murderers as "heroic". Perhaps we ought to stop pushing a morality on sports that it has patently rejected. Perhaps we should call it what it is -- a game meant for entertainment, not hero-worship. It is populated by rogues, scoundrels, thieves, and murderers. There are, of course, still many in sports who are people of character, but they're getting to be as rare as the Hollywood marriage that survives. Perhaps we should stop romanticizing the sports world and recognize it for what it is -- amusement. What is "amusement"? The word comes from the Greek "muse" which means "to think," and the "a" in front of it means "NOT". Sports doesn't contribute anything to our world. It just allows us to not think for awhile. Do we really expect something that costs so much and produces nothing to be moral and praiseworthy?
I don't know. I'm reviewing the situation. Are we allowing our kids too much freedom in choosing their heroes? Are we allowing too many worthless things (Psa. 101:3) for them to watch? Are we expecting too much from the world?
2 comments:
Mean Joe Green wasn't mean.
Mean Joe Green was from a gone by era, and I did say, "There are, of course, still many in sports who are people of character." My point is that Joe would be considered an anomaly.
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