Many people have accomplished so much in their sporting
lives. They have reached the pinnacle of their profession, won the respect and
acknowledgement of their peers and a place in sporting history. Their greatness will remain eternal in the
hearts and minds of the fans they thrilled and wooed over there career or will they?. Through controversies and acts of stupidity,
they have managed to sully their reputation, thus blemishing and ruining a
lifetimes work. For the committed sports fan – is such a situation worthy of
downgrading or disregarding a sports persons accomplishments. There are arguments
for and against. In this ever politically correct world, the world expects
integrity and dignity amongst its heroes. Many politicians have suffered
scandals yet if their legacy remains. Martin Luther King and John Fitzgerald
Kennedy are two of the most influential political figures in 20th
century America. Both were seriously flawed men The strength of love from
their supporters and the manner of their deaths however has kept their place
safe in history. Is it the same for our sporting heroes?. Below are a few sporting heroes have blemished and perhaps destroyed their own legacy
Jason Akermanis
The 3 time Premiership winning AFL player
and Brownlow Medallist winner for the Brisbane Lions antagonising off the field
as he is on it. No denying his on field success and he is befitting of “champion”
status. His off field views are often stupid and insensitive. His remarks “stay
in the closet” drew sharp criticism from all sectors of Australia and many of
his fellow peers. His latest comments on Jim Stynes on been given a state
funeral been treated like a “demi god” was poor form. Stynes was as revered for
his charity work, than he was for his footy. This will last long in the memory
of the footy fraternity.
Ron Atkinson:
A fantastic character in the game who had a
successful managerial career with Man United and Aston Villa. An evening in
Monaco where he dropped the n-bomb on Marcel Desailly has had huge implications
on Big Rons legacy. At the time of the remark, big Ron was one of the most
popular pundits about and his career has taken a nose dive since then. Most
people forget that Big Ron was at the forefront of introducing Black players to
the game. Players such as Paul McGrath, Cyril Regis and Brendan Batson owe a
lot to Atkinson. Although having a great career, his legacy is that of a
tarnished one.
OJ Simpson:
Like the previously mentioned OJs. legacy war
tarnished after his career had finished. Nicknamed “The Juice” – Simpson broke
many rushing records as a running back with the Buffalo Bills. The death of his
wife however overshadowed both his sporting and movie careers. He was of course
acquitted of the murder but in the eyes of the public he was as guilty as sin.
Despite his acquittal, his behaviour has continued on a downward spiral. Armed
robbery and the release of a book entitled “If I Did It” leaves little to the
imagination of the character of Simpson.
Joe Paterno:
The most successful coach in the history of
college football is unlikely to see his achievements ever matched. A career
spanning 409 victories with Penn State cemented his vestige in
college folklore. His demise however casts a shadow on this legacy. In 2011,
Paterno was proven to have ignored claims that his defensive co-coordinator Jerry
Sandusky molested a boy in the Penn State locker room in 2002. Sandusky would
continue his abhorrent abuse as Paterno remained silent not reporting anything
to the police. In 2011, when details emerged, Paterno was relieved of his
duties amid a huge media storm. He died several months later from cancer. It
remains to be seen how sports history will judge Paterno.
Is it possible for a sporting legacy to be destroyed outside of the game?
Are there any Sports people guilty of this?
Nice Blog Kev,
ReplyDeleteEven after following NFL for a number of years I still think of OJ as a fictional character or a media made and much hyped 'celebrity'. I don't think anyone in Hollywood could have scripted anything as good as the palava that was his post playing life. I also knew more about his movies than his playing career. Until I checked his stats I thought that he would have been an at best average player but in fact he was an outstanding RB and I'm sure some at Buffalo and San Fran still hold him in high regards. He holds rushing records that may never be broken with the modern passing game but for me the mid nineties circus will forever overshadow his playing days. So not one of my heroes.
Good blog Kev. I think the Paterno one is interesting as he had almost God-like status at Penn, when ever you thought of them you thought of Joe. It will be intriguing to see how time treats his legacy. There is a good article here, with the following quote standing out - http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/jack_mccallum/01/21/joe.paterno/index.html
ReplyDelete"Let's try not to make it that, try not to look for victims or martyrs. JoePa was neither. He was not a perfect man, but he was a man who did more good than bad, someone who made a difference, someone who will be remembered. As news spread about Paterno's increasingly grave condition last Saturday night, students spontaneously gathered at Beaver Stadium, clustered around the seven-foot statue of him running onto the field, right index finger raised. Behind the statue is a plaque on which Paterno is quoted: "They ask me what I'd like written about me when I'm gone. I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach." He wrote his own epitaph."
Tiger Woods
ReplyDeleteKeys and Grey
Collymore the dogger... haha
John Terry, non football matters
I don't really give a hoop what Tiger did but what I can't stand is sportsmen who have been involved in match-fixing. It has unfortunately happened a lot in cricket and the people not only let themselves down but also the team and in many cases a whole nation.
After reading up on Paterno I think a Blog for the future should be Sporting Dynasties.
Yeah I think there are certain elements which eliminate a legacy. Match fixing and drug cheating are the two main ones - inexcusable.Looking up on the baseball stats, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Alex Rodriguez records in the top 10 Home runs still stand in the Hall of Fame.Madness!!They should be removed from the games history.
ReplyDeleteThe term Dynasty gets bandied around easily in the US but Paterno had created one at Penn State. The irony of that quote behind the statue is quite haunting no matter which side your argument falls.
It is quite an impressive statue and there is still debate on whether it should be removed or not.Time will tell.