Larger Than Life

I remember as a kid, reading all sorts of "hero" books. One of my favorites was a biography of Babe Ruth. He was an orphan who lived out the "rags-to-riches" American Dream. He came from nothing, yet became a person whose name was known for many generations. I think back to the Lou Gehrig story, a great athlete who played in 2,130 consecutive games, and who heroically stared down the evil disease that bears his name to this day.

There was a time when, if you became the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World, you were American Royalty. I remember following the exploits of Muhammad Ali, who was probably the biggest self-promoter in history. He'd boldly predict the round in which he would knock his opponent out, and then, more often that not, go out and fulfill that prophecy. And once the battles were done, he'd be the embodiment of humility and grace.

Ruth set a Home Run record that stood for nearly 40 years. When the time came, Hank Aaron broke that record amidst a tremendous buzz. The attention wasn't all positive though, as Aaron faced death threats warning him to back off the chase. So the new record was one of both athletic greatness and immense courage.

So what's happening now? Barry Bonds of the SF Giants is on the verge of eclipsing that record, yet how many people seem to care? He's surly, has minimal contact with fans, and is difficult with the press. Think back to Mike Tyson, who was the most formidable boxing talent to emerge in decades, yet what did he do with the fame?

I wonder how many of us, off the top of our heads, could even name the current World Heavyweight Champion in boxing. When was the last time any of us lined up outside the stadium after the game in hopes of garnering some athlete's autograph?

But yet, I'd bet that each and every one of us could name an athlete who is in trouble with the law, or a celebrity who's been arrested for DUI in the last month.

It seems now that "accomplishment" and "fame" are no longer partners. As a matter of fact, "fame" has become confused with "notoriety" more and more every day. If you look back at the histories of Ruth, Gehrig and the like, there are countless photos of them posing with adoring fans, with kids, basking in the limelight of that adoration. Sure, we as a society love to focus on the shortcomings of our Greats, as we know Ruth loved the nightlife, and probably drank a few more beers than he should have. And some will point out that Ali had problems with the Draft Board. But are those things really capable of diminishing the greatness borne by these people?

I jokingly peeve about the use of the word "amazing" in our culture. Seems every day, some star, some athlete, some "famous" person is described as "amazing." Sit and read about the struggles of Lou Gehrig, the accomplishment of the 1969 NY Mets, or what Ali did in the ring, and you might understand why the dilution of the word "amazing" gets under my skin.

I don't deny that there probably are some great people out there today, I'm just wondering why we're not hearing about them so much these days. I think my point here is, who are my kids reading about? Who will my grandchildren be reading biographies of, under the guise of "heroes"?

Who would you want your grandchildren reading about?