Five days into the new decade, I’m still trying to figure out how to define the last one. Strangely enough, the last 10 years in sports may be harder to piece together than anything else. The 2000s were filled with depressing events in the news world. 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the recession of 2008, the lists goes on and on.
Sports? I’m not sure what to make of everything that transpired.
There were plenty of amazing moments: David Tyree’s catch in the Super Bowl against New England, Lebron James scoring 25 straight points against the Pistons in the playoffs, the Red Sox finally winning a World Series (and then another).
Of course, with all of those great memories came many equally ugly ones. Indeed, perhaps what I will remember most about this past decade is the media’s uncovering of star athletes’ darkest secrets.
Fittingly, 2009 summed up the decade in a microcosm. We were shocked when it was revealed that Alex Rodriguez (the great hope to eclipse Barry Bonds’ home run record) had been using steroids. We watched in horror (or at least I did) as Michael Jordan rambled through a 30-minute speech at his Hall of Fame ceremony, sucking the life out of the room with countless barbs aimed at past opponents. Of course, this Thanksgiving we witnessed Tiger Woods’ life fall to pieces, and most recently Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton apparently brought guns into the Wizards locker room.
The common theme here is that athletes are often not what they seem. Rodriguez, Jordan, and Woods were once painted as “golden boys,” representing everything that’s right about sports. In one year, they managed to change that perception dramatically. As athletes will quickly learn, no secret is safe anymore. Fifty years ago, it was easier to get away with an affair or cheating the game. Now, with Facebook, Twitter, and the media covering every aspect of every sport, it’s almost impossible to get away with any wrongdoing.
As a result, our newfound awareness of athletes’ flaws has made us quick to judge. “Tiger’s a jerk,” we say. “Jordan is self-absorbed, A-Rod is a cheater.”
All fair points. Yet, here’s what many fail to point out: we, as a society, are partially responsible for the transgressions of athletes. Starting as early as middle school, star athletes are treated like gods. Scouts from colleges show up to watch a 14-year old shoot a basketball, Sports Illustrated features a high school baseball player on its cover, school teachers let the quarterback cut class so that he can study his playbook.
The fact is, these superstars get basically whatever they want starting at an early age. Should we really be surprised when they think they can get away with infidelity, using performance-enhancing drugs, or brandishing weapons in a locker room? If bad behavior is a drug, then we as a society are the enablers.
I’m just as guilty of this as anyone else. I’ve bought Tiger Woods’ video games and find myself much more interested in golf when he’s playing. I have a Michael Jordan jersey hanging in my closet, and I still wear it frequently. Derrick Rose apparently cheated on his SATs; I’ve got his jersey too. The sad truth is, we’re as addicted to these athletes as they are to themselves.
 
As long as fans continue to worship players and coaches keep letting them get away with whatever they want, we’ll see plenty more stories just like that of Tiger Woods or Alex Rodriguez. Do I have a solution? Honestly, no. True fans know that with the love of a sport, a team, or a player comes a certain devotion that is very difficult to shake. Coaches, too, are often fans, particularly when a star player is helping them keep their job.
There is a fine line between healthy respect and letting athletes get away with murder (sometimes literally). As a society, toeing that line has proven to be very difficult, and that is reflected in the behavior of certain athletes.
So go ahead and rail on Tiger or Arenas or any of the countless other athletes that have made mistakes recently. They certainly deserve it. Just know that if the 2000s showed us anything, it’s that we as fans are a big part of the problem.
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