Does it matter to you if an athlete is a nice guy?
Poll: Do you care if your athletes are good off the field?
When I was a kid, it mattered very much to me that my sports heroes were not only gifted performers, but also that they were, for the most part, genuinely nice people. I liked Magic Johnson in part because he smiled so much. Because he seemed friendly and big-hearted, which was sort of an idealized version of myself -- a 6-foot-9 point guard with uncanny court vision and a genuine joie de vivre about playing professional basketball.
There was a certain naivety to that approach, I realize now. I suppose it didn't matter whether or not Magic was a good guy, just that he entertained me as a basketball fan and was successful doing it. But I've never completely abandoned that sentiment. In general, I'm still drawn to athletes who are thoughtful, worldly, introspective and kind. It's still a bit of a projection on my part. I tend to think of myself in those terms (rightly or wrongly), and so when I recognize them in a professional athlete, I'm more inclined to pull for them or follow their career.
These thoughts were bouncing around in my head this morning after I saw the unexpected (but not entirely surprising) news that the Ravens decided to cut defensive lineman Trevor Pryce, one of my favorite Ravens because he is wise beyond the gridiron. (I wrote a story last year about his budding career as a screenwriter, and when he does speak with the media, he's one of the most honest quotes in the locker room.) It seems likely that Pryce will be re-signed to the team in a week (the Ravens aren't even cleaning out his locker) but you never know in the NFL. When you're not the player you once were (and I think Pryce would not object to that statement) nothing is certain about the turn your career will take.
It matters to me that Pryce is a good guy because, as a media person, it's sometimes difficult to deal with athletes who have contempt for what they see as "little people." But for fans, I wonder how much it matters anymore. There is such a disconnect between the fan and the player these days -- the days of Johnny Unitas and the rest of the Colts sitting elbow to elbow with fans at Club 4100 are long gone and they're not coming back -- that an athlete's personality seems to matter less and less as long as he produces. There is likely at least some Ravens fans out there saying "I don't really care if he's a nice guy. Right now, I'll take a much younger jerk who can still get to the quarterback."
It's part of the reason, I think, behind the rise of sabermetics in baseball. Character, admittedly, can be vastly overvalued by both media and fans, especially when it's used to justify an athlete holding onto his place in the line-up despite poor production. You don't have to be a nice guy, or a leader, to be a good player, especially in professional sports. It's nice when both qualities are present -- Ray Rice is a good example -- but hardly necessary for success. Sometimes the very qualities that make an athlete an exceptional competitor are the same qualities that make him not such a nice person. The guy who is a jerk or a criminal is just less likely to get the benefit of doubt. If you focus primarily on statistics, as sabermetrics does, you take something that isn't quantifiable like character out of the equation.
If you're never going to meet an athlete anyway, if he's barely a part of your community -- not even living there in the off-season and interacting with fans only when he drives to the stadium in his Hummer -- does it matter whether he's a good person or not? That he's not a meat head or an egomaniac? Maybe not.
Certainly part of Cal Ripken's appeal in Baltimore had something to do with the fact that he carried himself with humility and class. Are those days fading away? And is that necessarily a bad thing?
Photo: Sun
Comments
I think Baltimore has been
very fortunate to have men
like Brooks, Johnny and Cal
represent our city...
It never gets old for a
rare few to conduct themselves
as professionals on and off the
field...
Their contributions to charity
and time for the common man
made them are all time greats...
Posted by: bob m | September 29, 2010 5:39 PM
I was fortunate enough to cross paths with Mr. Unitas at the airport a year or two before he died. He was still a class act, and as gracious as could be.
I think that, at least in a small city like Baltimore, it still matters a lot.
Posted by: Dave | September 29, 2010 6:26 PM
It matters to me. I like it when nice guys succeed, and when jerks get their comeuppance. I'll always hope that the Orioles, Ravens, and Terps win, even if it means pulling for a surly jerk to make the big play when the game is on the line. But it's a lot more satisfying when the likeable guy is the one who wins it for the home team.
Posted by: SmittyATL | September 29, 2010 10:11 PM
In the real world, winners have mean streaks, nice guys DO finish last and mature adults don't need heroes.. Don't care about an athlete's image or off the field drama. I care about performance. I'm a sports fan.
Posted by: Rod | September 30, 2010 12:02 AM
this piece came at the right time. in the end, its all about information, not an overshare.
i dont know who else on the sun woulda wrote something like this. out of reasons i respect. reasons i can only project. i know from time 2 time mike preston or eisenberg and others knock out a thing or two id call close to their heart or being of even personal importance. i enjoy the depth there beneath the short-lived daily surface. itd be boring otherwise and it must be to some who report. at times.
but its kevins birthday ...
leaving the reader to do his own work by remembering the details about magic. respectful, sensible. if u cant pick up from there as a reader i guess that would make you ... well, lets say ... inaccessible at the time.
thats too bad.
the day i dont care about the human factor, circumstances and the growing degree of alienation on part of both producer (athlete, musician, etc) and consumer (ravens fan, kiss army groupie) is the day the term 'sports fan' would reduce me to a narrow-minded, superficial and self-conditioned passive. a passenger in 'wall.e'. a cynic.
'feed me, seymour.' rooted in a pot grown all too small, pedals wavin for food. a screamin jay hawkins tongue beckoning like a lit runway strip.
i love screamin jay, god bless him.
anyway. seasons come, seasons go. expecting and merely registering results isnt satisfactory for many reasons. one is superficiality and boredom. another is the inherent disinterest in a human component beyond 'performance.'
are some even aware of the luxury of living vicariously? or does this have to end in indifference, disrespect ?
simply put, people either bridge a gap or get washed by alienation. i myself dont find sports results within themselves satisfying enough.
in all things cultural there is a human component, and i find that far more interesting because it serves a deeper understanding. do wanna know how the heck strahan managed to get up only to get ragdolled by jo in 2001 ? yeah. i understand the adversity so much better. do i wanna know how billy ripken dealt with the shadows ? you bet your deacon jones cardealership purchased air freshener, oldtimer.
i dont see what better a two-dimensional scoreboard has to offer. its mere reduction. its short-lived, and the hunger it feeds has bad breath. synapses challenged a peg above madden. got ADD ? thatll help become a good madden player, but is that all you can enjoy ?
joey goebel's 'torture the artist' and duerrenmatt's 'incident at twilight' are recommended. takes a day to read. whether u got add or not.
if culture can interpret hemingway and, say, jimi hendrix in societal context, it can certainly suffer an average 'sports fan.' but it shouldnt suffer from him. youre simply not gonna take me back to roman 'bread and games'-times with you.
so, i think this 'toy' :-) dept. text will appeal to most and be lost on some. its a really good offering and well-timed as i said. i guess only a nice guy could give a hoot to write it.
raise kebbins allowance at once.
ps - yes, thats a bad thing. bad! veeeery bad ....
Posted by: stefmeister | September 30, 2010 4:00 AM
This is a nice article about Trevor Pryce. I always like to hear his post game comments and interviews. He is an interesting guy. It is telling however that the list of nice guys/hometown heroes, is Brooks, Johnny, and Cal rather than Frank, Eddie, and Lenny. This is not to say that Brooks, Cal, and Johnny aren't worthy, but then so are the others I mentioned who are often overlooked when discussing our hometown heores.
Posted by: Wayne Hicks | September 30, 2010 7:02 AM
This is actually a much tougher question than you think the more I sat around thinking about it. The answer SHOULD be that WE DO CARE if our athletes are nice people. Yet, I find myself thinking that the want to win sometimes out ways that.
Do you think that NFL Lions fans cared that they had really nice guys when they went winless a couple years back. I'd be willing to bet some people up there would have no problems fielding a prison team if they won just ONE game.
Trevor Pryce is also one of my favorite Ravens. He brings maturity, experience, and a level head to the Ravens. (Remember he was always the one that during mini camps that would break up the fights and get annoyed that teammates were getting into it) And I wouldn't want to see him go out like this as a Ravens fan. He's played like a Raven and deserves to at least finish the season out on the team.
He also should realize that his playing days are coming to an end in the next couple of years, if not sooner. So he should dig deep and finish with a fury. He's a been a great player for a long time and I'd like to see him with one more ring on his finger.
Go Ravens
Posted by: Kevin H | September 30, 2010 8:36 AM
YES!! It absolutely matters. A person's character always matters. Kindness, integrity, civility matter.
Performance is one thing, but i would not root for the most talented athlete in the world if he/she was a jerk.
I like nice. We need more nice. From everyone.
Posted by: M | September 30, 2010 9:27 AM
Disappoints me that the team couldn't find someone else with a lesser known profile to cut before pulling this GHETTO move on Trevor. He has done nothing but be a team player stayed healthy for the most part and has even taken pay cuts....
The Castle needs to get this corrected asap!
Go Ravens!
Posted by: Ravensrock19 | September 30, 2010 9:34 AM
M wrote,
'Performance is one thing, but i would not root for the most talented athlete in the world if he/she was a jerk.'
pile-on ! and i do fail 2 see the bennies of hamlin over pryce. hm.
good responses here. 'nice.'
lets hear it for the sun's terry savalas !!!
Posted by: stefmeister | September 30, 2010 10:38 AM
stefmeister, I'm not so sure everyone would agree with you on Franks being a nice guy. So although you are trying to make this a racial topic, you are reaching. In my opinion, Frank was no where near a nice guy like Eddie, or even Ray Rice. Quit reaching. Lenny Moore was a nice guy, but Johnny U was beyond kind and that's more of the point.
Posted by: ravenheel43 | September 30, 2010 10:44 AM
Your definition of "good" seems to be based on how friendly and outgoing his personality is, and how he interacts with those in your profession. That is typical media arrogance. I tend to think that there are some good guys who might just be a little on the quiet or shy side and may not be comfortable talking to reporters; likewise, I'm sure there are some not so good guys who smile and give good quotes and have charisma aplenty.
Thus I reject your definition of "good" out of hand. It is based on the arrogance and self-absorption of those in your line of work...
P.S.- I get sick of reading and hearing from the media's perspective about who is "good" or "bad", "nice" or a "jerk"...I'd really like to know from the athletes who they think the good guys and jerks are among those doing the interviewing and reporting...all we get now is the skewed, biased, one sided portrayals from the journalists/media/talking heads, who ultimately end up with the last word on the matter...
Posted by: keith | September 30, 2010 10:56 AM
Rod, I feel sorry for you, buddy...
----------
"In the real world, winners have mean streaks, nice guys DO finish last and mature adults don't need heroes.. Don't care about an athlete's image or off the field drama. I care about performance. I'm a sports fan.
Posted by: Rod | September 30, 2010 12:02 AM"
Posted by: Anonymous | September 30, 2010 11:57 AM
The thing is, how do any of us really know whether an athlete is a nice guy or not? Becauseof what the media tell us? Well, clearly they base "nice guy" largely on how glib an interview they are, which is pretty selfish, silly criterion. Other than that, what would you base it on? Maybe you encountered him while getting an autograph? Another selfish, silly criterion. How you interacted with him on that one occasion doesn't mean that he is automatically a good or bad person.
Truth is,we don't know these guys. Unless they are in the news for committing a crime of some sort, you have no way of determining their "goodness"...so why play Oprah? Just appreciate their abilities to play their sport, and as long as there isn't any PROVEABLE evidence to their "goodness" or lack thereof, leave that out of the equation...
Posted by: keith | September 30, 2010 12:43 PM
They can start packing his locker, He's a Jet now.
Posted by: he he he! | September 30, 2010 12:47 PM
Dag, Stefmeister! That was deep ... I think.
Posted by: Tucker in Sec. 527 | September 30, 2010 1:33 PM
a) athletes shouldn't be criminals if they are they shouldn't be playing
b) athletes shouldn't be required to be role models but if they happen to be role models it does makes the game more enjoyable
Beyond that they are pretty much hired guns who are primarily there to win games. If they are doing that then I am happy.
Too much sports coverage is spent on how players perform in the lockeroom vs. how they perform on the field and in general that takes away from the game.
Posted by: Paul | September 30, 2010 1:51 PM
Sure does matter. I love the Colts - they have lots of good guys and they do cast off the people that don't have personal high standards (i.e, Ed Johnson, Mike Doss, Donald Strickland). I will take a runners up position in the SuperBowl any day rather than win the SB with jerks like Randy Moss, Ocho, etc, on the roster. Same with O's - I'd rather have the Markakis, Reimold, and Adam Jones good guys than jerks like A-Rod, Texeira, and Giambi.
Posted by: John in Conn | September 30, 2010 5:42 PM
In your fantasy world, winners don't have a mean streak, nice guys finish first, and mature adults need heroes. You care about an athlete's image and off the field drama. You don't care about performance. You're not a sports fan. I feel sorry for you anonymous.
Posted by: Rod | October 1, 2010 1:17 AM