Sports figures earn their celebrity through athletic competition. Have their earned celebrity in other dimensions of their lives?
Courtesy: Free Beacon
It was jarring to see a photo of Draymond Green posing with a gun, playacting as a sniper, and taking target practice with police. Green was in Israel on a trip organized by Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). I learned about the trip from reading Dave Zirin’s article, published last week in The Nation.
Of course, Green has choices. We all do. And it’s easy to judge others’ choices based on our personal beliefs and preferences.
I tried hard not to do that with Green. After all, no matter how I feel about guns, the police, the military, or the situation in the Middle East, this is the same Draymond Green who said recently (to CNN via Zirin) that “in order to effect change, you have to stand for something.” …so true and also so well said….
But here’s the thing. If Green hadn’t made it in the NBA, if he wasn’t a member of a championship basketball team, if people didn’t know him by name, follow him on Twitter, or read about him in tabloids, then it’s likely that few people would care about his trip to Isreal–or anywhere else, for that matter.
They care because Green has celebrity. You say “Draymond” and I say “Green.”
But there’s a downside to that celebrity, especially in today’s sports- and media-crazy world. Entertainment figures (including those in sports) are followed too closely–reported on constantly–as they navigate the various non-sports dimensions of their lives. We read what they have to say. We watch where they go. And those celebrities sway opinions–even when they don’t deserve to sway much of anything.
The problem? We accord too much value to celebrity and, conversely, don’t pay enough attention to the qualities that stars bring (or don’t bring) to other dimensions of their lives.
But it doesn’t need to be that way. And, thankfully, many times it is not.
Courtesy: Chicago Tribune
Take Dennis Rodman, for instance. I wonder how many fans take Dennis Rodman seriously in his NBA afterlife. Not many, I suspect. But, surprise, there’s Dennis Rodman in North Korea–as statesperson–working to create a meaningful relationship between the regime and the United States. Rodman had a purpose (whether you agree or not) and an outcome in mind.
Rodman certainly isn’t the only sports celebrity who stands out in a non-athletic domain. No matter what you think about Charles Barkley’s basketball analysis, I encourage you to take time to listen to what he has to say about social issues in America. Charles, always thoughtful and provocative, is a truth-teller.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is exactly the same. In my opinion, he’s as thoughtful and as articulate as they come. I love listening to him and reading what he has to say. More often than not I end up saying to myself, “Gosh, I never thought about it that way.”
I feel the same way about other sports celebrities–current and past–notably Steve Kerr, Serena Williams, Jim Brown, Hope Solo, and Gregg Popovich. They’re smart. They question. They probe. They’re insightful. And they can spot fools and frauds at 50 paces. Authentic, all, they’re worthy of being an influencer.
What’s the point? We give sports celebrities (and celebrities of all kinds) too much credit when they navigate into non-sports realms. That doesn’t mean sports celebrities should only ‘stay in their lane’ (sports). It means this: just as celebrities had to earn celebrity in sports, they need to do the same in other domains.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
I want proof that I should pay attention to them. Show me something, please, either in thought and/or action.
Take LeBron James. Consider his work in the Akron-Cleveland area, where he’s devoting over $40 million to send area kids to college. JJ Watt did the same in Houston–in flood relief and to help families pay for funerals for high school students who were murdered in the Santa Fe High massacre. Impressive!
None of this is new, either. When I was a kid, Jack Kemp played QB for the Buffalo Bills. After the NFL, Kemp went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Over time, he became a widely respected and influential thought-leader regarding the U.S. economy.
Earn it. I’ll pay attention. Otherwise….
