In the most recent development of a drawn out saga, Barry Bonds is facing perjury charges stemming from his testimony that he never knowingly used steroids. He is just the latest big league slugger to join the ranks of adored athletes turned heartbreakers.
But there is no news here: another sports icon that was simply too good to be true. This keeps happening, and it seems we haven’t learned that it will continue.
Last summer, LeBron James’ “decision” to bolt from Cleveland was especially personal for many. But James’s leaving broke more than the hearts of Clevelanders who wanted a championship. It broke the spirit of a city and made millions reconsider how and why they admired sports figures.
It was not so much that James failed to win it all in Cleveland during his reign there as “King” as much as he shattered the image his fans had formed of him. Fans idolized James not only for the talent he displayed on the court, but for what he represented to Akronites, Clevelanders and a nation. He was a young man from humble means who achieved fame and through hard work became great. With charisma, charm and quasi-hometown loyalty, James seemed a modern-day folk hero. But he wasn’t, and like so many, it was the perfect story gone terribly wrong.
The modern sports world has long been home to several fallen champions and disappointments. Tiger Woods is yet another example of a sports icon who was hailed as great, and seemingly had it all but ultimately turned out to be less than what we had imagined and wanted: perfection.
Then there is Lance Armstrong, the man who overcame cancer to win seven consecutive Tour de France championships. The legitimacy of his victories, however, is questioned today by one of his former teammates who alleges that Armstrong was involved in a blood doping scandal. Even if the accusations prove to be false, they may still mar his legacy.
If Lance, Tiger, and Barry are all phonies, who is left to admire? Where is our athletic Superman?
Fans are often naïve for looking up to athletes as more than performers. After all, they are paid to play games, not be role models. But we all need an iconic representation of greatness to admire, to strive for, to say, “I want to be like him.” Fans’ admiration is understandable.
Even in terms of talent, fans can expect too much. Maybe the levels of excellence we crave are simply unattainable. Maybe we forget that, as humans, we are all victims to some sort of fatal flaw that entices us to cut corners, get greedy or simply act like a big deal when we know we are.
If a player can dunk over everyone, can we also expect him to remain loyal like a dog to his hometown? Should we be surprised that the man who rides his bike faster than anyone is not immune to the pressure and hubris that could lead him to cheat?
Clearly athletes are not the best candidates for heroes. They’re just people, but we still expect them to be more than that. And that’s our fault. So let’s stop looking for Superman because he is not out there.
Greg Swiatek is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected]. Illustration by Jenna Fugate.
