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June 20, 2007
The Great and the Not So Great
By tt stern-enzi, City Beat
We're a nation fascinated with the exhibition of athletic greatness,
yet we can be oblivious to it unless it's homegrown or brazenly
displayed. We loved Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali and Michael
Jordan, who have come to symbolize the American spirit. They were (and
are) larger than life. But we've proven to be less willing to embrace
Hank Aaron, Roger Federer and Tim Duncan -- three very quiet men who,
in their own way, deserve consideration for greatness. Aaron
begrudgingly gets respect as the home run king on the verge of being
usurped, but he had to survive death threats and the fans'
unwillingness to honor his achievement at the time. Duncan has anchored
four NBA championship teams in San Antonio, sunk deep in the middle of
the action on court and even deeper into a zone of privacy that's the
envy of the government. And Federer is the trickiest of all to consider
because his greatness is in a sport that few true sports fans watch
with any degree of regularity. Tennis fails to rouse our
continental pride and offers little space on which to mount our
imperial flag. The latest crop of American players cowers in the shadow
of the anointed greats of the game. James Blake, Andy Roddick and a
string of faceless names have been pinned against the baseline by Roger
Federer.
Where is tennis' version of Michael or Magic or Bird? Andre Agassi had
style, but the historic base of substance and championships by which he
will be judged came later. Pete Sampras was brilliant but not exactly
dominating; he lacked the killer instinct of Michael or that we see in
Tiger. There was strong will in him -- after all, this was a guy who
won a match once after throwing up between games -- but he let us see
too much of the effort behind his efforts. Which brings me
back to the Swiss master Federer. Rarely does his effort show. He has a
grace that makes the points seem not so much effortless as almost
beneath him. He's supremely skilled but not arrogant. He isn't
belligerent with the press or dismissive of tennis fans, but he's
guarded and maintains sovereignty over his actions and coaching that
would seem to be the model for global empires. There is respect for the
game, its history and his place in it. That's what likely drives him.
And those are the same qualities lacking in so many others. In tennis a
few short years ago, the Williams sisters were on the verge of writing
a sports and cultural legacy for the ages. Grand Slam final after Grand
Slam final featured their ongoing rivalry. Would older sister Venus
smack down the impertinent Serena, or would the forceful younger pummel
her elder again? They could have elevated the game's awareness
and cultural consciousness to a point where it might have rivaled our
national pastimes like baseball, basketball, football, golf when Tiger
is about to pounce and NASCAR when the engine doesn't overheat.
Yet both sisters turned the page and like in some glossy magazine found
a new story of fashion and fame and failed to finish the feature they
were creating. At least they weren't caught with their pants down
around their ankles like so many other famous athletes. We
talk about profiling athletes as if they're being entrapped and singled
out, but guess what: There's nothing wrong with it. We should be
profiling them, turning the media spotlight on their exploits on the
field, exploits that should be quietly speaking for themselves.
Greatness doesn't need trumpets blaring. Every point doesn't
deserve a moment of admiring or grandstanding. If you're a great
player, you'll score often, so why make a fuss each time? Being an
elite professional athlete is hard work, and it should be treated as
such. Yet too many athletes make a spectacle of themselves or
fail to rise to the challenge before them when so much is expected for
the riches being granted to them. And so we find apologists at every
turn seeking to defend our rising social and cultural mediocrity.
It saddens me to hear a coach -- you know who -- speak of racial
profiling of his players in the media. Talk like that weakens the very
serious and seemingly terminal disease that afflicts us as a nation.
It's worse because coaches and management are the ones who should be
profiling their players. It takes more than skill to make a great
player, and those elements, so often missing from the highly touted
"playmakers," need to be recognized and nurtured. Back in the
day, Motown used to run a finishing school for its performers, many of
whom were from humble backgrounds and on the verge of intense scrutiny.
They were groomed on how to present themselves. Sports teams
and athletes could learn from this system. I believe that athletes in
more individual sports already have -- again, see Federer. We talk
about talented performers making the leap from high school to the pros
in basketball and football as if there's a problem of coping, but how
often do we see tennis players and golfers melt down in the same way
the more pampered student-athletes from the major sports do?
Yes, there are the John Dalys and Anna Kornikovas, but there are the
Steffi Grafs, Tiger Woods(es), Tim Duncans and Roger Federers who are
also profiled and deemed worthy of much because they strive to achieve
greatness and reach it even when they come up short. Note that
Federer's greatness isn't diminished by his recent loss in the French
Open final. In August, while Bengals fans and players turn
their attention to the pre-season, the Tennis Masters Series will make
its way to Cincinnati prior to the final Grand Slam event of the
season, the U.S. Open. We'll likely have the opportunity to admire and
profile Federer's greatness. It'll be like watching history
being made, but more than that it's the chance to see a real role model
doing what he does best. It's an example all local athletes -- both
professional and across all the amateur ranks -- should take the time
to appreciate. Be careful, though. You have to pay close attention.
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