Gentleman Agitator

Defording Sports: Baryshnikov Leaps! He Scores!

    As an avid listener to National Public Radio (NPR), I often hear Frank Deford, the senior contributing writer at Sports Illustrated pontificate on the sporting world. His commentaries run each Wednesday on NPR. Usually, I am in the shower and as we all know, some of our best thinking goes on in the shower. Sometimes I agree with Mr. Deford and sometimes I have not a clue where he is coming from.
    That was the case yesterday with his commentary, “Sports, the Rodney Dangerfield of Academia?” He was reflecting on the comments of Princeton University, Athletic Director Gary Walters comments on sports and the arts. Deford says, "Is it time," he (Walters) asks, "for the educational-athletic experience on our playing fields be accorded the same ... academic respect as the arts?"
    Deford responds, “Well, apart from simply being so sweaty, I think that sport has suffered in comparison with the arts — or should I say: the other arts — because it is founded on trying to win. Artists are not supposed to be competitive. They are expected to be above that. We always hear "art for art's sake." Nobody ever says "sport for sport's sake."
    Well, it may not be as sweaty, but if you have had to play Beethoven’s or Shostakovich’s Fifth symphonies in concert, you might have worked up a bit of a sweat. I think Mr. Deford’s assertion that artists are not supposed to be competitive is not quite accurate. I guess he has never heard of the Tchaikovsky piano competition, a high school band competition or the local art show. Competition can come out in the arts. Some artists do just believe in “art for art’s sake”. Then again one of the eternal questions is, “What is art?” Since the answer is always indefinite, it really leaves the belief in art for art’s sake rather moot. 
    As for "sport for sport’s sake", that has been said also. Many sports leagues for children stress, the joy of playing the game and making sure everyone gets to play, over the final score. I think you can also say that sport for sport’s sake is in how the game is played as well. It used to be commonplace that good sportsmanship (fair play, no cheating, respect for coaches, officials and opponents etc.) was held up as an axiom of athletic competition.  It is harder and harder to find that. Mr. Deford, in case you did not know it, there are no members of the San Francisco Symphony that we know of, on the “juice” to play their instrument better, as opposed to a certain home run king with the San Francisco Giants baseball club.
    Later in his commentary, Mr. Deford makes a one to one comparison with Michael Jordan and Mikhail Baryshnikov. “…Is not what we saw Michael Jordan do every bit as artistic as what we saw Mikhail Baryshnikov do?” Well, yes in a way. Perhaps we could say one was “athletic” and the other was “artistic”. No one can deny that to see the human body move in beautiful and extraordinary ways is inspiring.  To say that we must somehow equate the athletic with the artistic is not being fair to either in my opinion. I have only ever felt there was one sport where human movement in athletic competition merged with artistry and that is figure skating. The sport is judged on both the athletic and the artistic. No offense to the skating guys, but I find women’s figure skating to be the paragon of grace, style, beauty and action in human form.  Therefore, Frank, I will give you that with women’s figure skating.
    The Princeton athletic director, Walters, is quoted by Deford, “Athletic competition nourishes our collective souls and contributes to the holistic education of the total person in the same manner as the arts." It is true that athletic competition can be very good for young people in contributing to their overall development. Development, appreciation and understanding of one’s body fit can happen in sports. Social growth can also happen by learning discipline and the ability to work with others. Studying the details of a sport can also develop the mind; it’s strategies and techniques. The problem is, these days, from children on up, these ideals are constantly at risk of being undermined by an ethic that one must win and win at almost any cost. The Oakland Raiders motto of “Just Win Baby” seems to have consciously or unconsciously seeped into our culture.
    Recently, I read a post from a Cincinnati Bengals’ fan board, frustrated with their recent losing streak, who wanted all the talented players that had been accused or convicted of crimes in recent years back with the team because, “I want to win!” What a sad commentary on our society that is.
    Frank Deford wonders, “Why can a young musician major in music, a young actor major in drama, but a young football player can't major in football? That not only strikes me as unfair, but it encourages the hypocrisy that contributes to the situation where those hidebound defenders of the artistic faith can take delight in looking down their noses at sport.”
    Well, let us say you can major in a sport. How is that curriculum going to be built? Sure, the on the field activities can be a student’s lab section. What about the rest of the time? How about a course in the History of Football?  How are we going to grade them? Does a linebacker get bonus points for every sack in a game? Yes, I suppose you could do that. You could build a football major, or soccer, tennis, field hockey and the like. You would be cheating the student though Mr. Deford, at least the ones who never make it to or have a professional level in their sport.
    You are forgetting about their lives after the average age of thirty-five for professionals and right after college for others. What are they to do with their baseball major, if they cannot make a career of it? I know we could sarcastically joke about English majors in the same way, but they can at least teach to use their major. The sport major could teach by coaching, but coaching positions in sports are fewer than English teachers. Overall, the wisest college athlete, even if he or she becomes a professional, knows that someday the body will say enough, and that having a career after sports will be almost a necessity. That is why you need to get a degree in something other than a sport.
    Mr. Deford makes a generalization that people who are artists look down at sports. Yes, I am sure there are snobs out there who act like the old sitcom character Frasier Crane, when it comes to sports. I am sure also that there are some who look down at the arts and hail sports as the most important endeavor on the planet.
    Then there were those rare persons who transverse both like former Cincinnati Bengal of the 1970’s, Mike Reid who played football and was an accomplished pianist. He has even gone on to write a one-act opera called, “Different Fields” about a professional football team. It kind of busts your generalization does it not Frank? As someone who literally grew up around a professional football team and likes the arts, I guess I should look down at myself also. 
    No, it is just a matter of having perspective and appreciation for both sports and the arts. At their best, each contributes to the betterment of people and society around the world. Where they on occasion crossover we can appreciate that, but let us just keep them as separate undertakings each with their own value.       

I hope to have more "Defording Sports" columns in the future here at Gentleman Agitator. I respect Frank Deford’s work and his thought provoking commentaries. That is why I enjoy sparring with his ideas.

San Diego Chargers: New Uniform Review

Chargers Announcement, Image Gallery from Chargers.com
Original graphics with comments: Navy Blue Set and Powder Blue Set

My review:

Well, as an afficanado of sports uniforms, I have to comment on the new Bolts unis. Well, overall they get a B- grade. When I first read that a uniform change was going to happen, I was shocked. The Spanos family was very arrogant in the 90's when they unveiled the navy blue based attire. They claimed this put "their" ownership stamp on the team and any concession to the fans love of the AFL era powder blue would not be considered. Then, they laxed up a bit with the NFL's throwback uni concept. If you have taken a look at a Charger crowd on TV you cannot help but miss the large number of throwback jerseys about. So now, it appears the Spanos' are going to come half way by merging the two looks together in to one new look. Yes, so much money to be made with new gear and so little time.

Who Dey Gonna Arrest Next? Part Two

Last year I commented on the rap sheet of the Cincinnati Bengals players in their extra-curricular activities. (See: Who Dey Gonna Arrest Next?) Sadly, the raps keep coming, and I do not mean players cutting an album. Cornerback Jonathan Joseph was caught last week with pot after a traffic stop in a friend’s car. This week Chris Henry was sentenced after plea-bargaining down a DUI conviction. He has two other cases yet outstanding.

The Kenton County, Kentucky judge sentenced him to two days in jail in this week’s judgment. Oooh, that hurts. Judge Greg Grothaus told Henry that he was a "cancer" with no respect for himself, his team or this community. A Cincinnati Enquirer editorial referred to that as, “...an excess of nonjudicial fervor...” What do they expect the judge to say, “Oh now be a good-boy Chris.”

Another Enquirer article puts it; “Judge Douglas Grothaus scolded Henry for his behavior, saying the player has embarrassed the city, his teammates and the Brown family, which owns the Bengals.

"I don't think you have any understanding of how your actions have affected others," Grothaus said.

He called Henry "the cancer" on the Bengals "that spread and caused (2006) to be the lost season."”

The judge was correct. Though I will say it was odd to tell him that and then agree to two days in jail. The added requirements the judge felt fit the crime. They include:

• Report to the Kentucky Alternative Program for drug and alcohol assessment.

• Pay a $250 fine plus court costs.

• Have no criminal activity for two years.

If Henry violates any of those orders, he will have to serve the 88 suspended days.

In addition to keeping a job, the Clermont ruling requires Henry to:

• Report to a probation officer for two years.

• Not consume any alcohol or illegal drugs.

• Submit to random drug tests.

• Agree to let the court review drug tests on Henry administered by the NFL.

• Continue with substance-abuse and behavior-improvement counseling he began in May.

• Stay out of bars.

I hope he can do it, I really do. I hope so, not because I like the Bengals, but I hope he can get his life moving in a positive direction.

The judge said about Mr. Henry’s being an embarrassment, "I don't think you have any understanding of how your actions have affected others."

Pundits, athletes and fans have said much in the last twenty years about the place of the athlete in society. Some would rather look the other way as long as “my” team wins. Some would just like to write bad public behavior off as “boys will be boys,” “These guys are not supposed to be choir boys,” or “They should not be looked up to as role models.” What, in fact, is the place of the athlete, professional or not, in society?

I will continue to write more dispatches on where, the place of athletes and sports in society. I take the tack that leagues, teams and individual players do have a responsibility for their behavior. Whether they like it, or want to admit it, their actions do have an impact, on their fellow peers, the places they represent and their fans, young and old. Until then, feel free to write me about how you see it. You can do this either leaving a comment for all G.A. readers or emailing me privately. Thanks for reading Gentleman Agitator.

The Lights of Arrowhead

This poem is dedicated to the founder of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt, who passed away last week:

THE LIGHTS OF ARROWHEAD
I.
A wind swirled through the stadium on that night.
Red and gold confetti swirled in metallic reflections of light.
It was a reminder of the day’s fight.

A lone figure stood at the fifty-yard line.
Torn divots had smeared the great KC crest to pale grime.
The aroma of sweat, beer and peanuts still hung in the air.
It was still like that first game in the Cotton Bowl, many seats bare.

One bank of the great stadium’s lights flickered and faded out.

II.
From then until now, how many victories, how many defeats.
He was told how foolish he was, but he stuck to his beliefs.

He founded the league of rebels.
Oh, how the National Football League was bedeviled.
The American Football League he remembered with pride.
The AFL would thrive, even as the NFL wanted to push it aside.
Ten years the two did thrust and parry.
He made it so that the two as equals would then marry.

A second bank of lights lost their electric hum and faded out.

III.
His AFL child was orphaned from its birthplace.
It was Kansas City though that turned out to be the perfect place.
And in 1969, it was glory for the many great men he brought together.
It was a time Kansas City would remember forever.
“Chiefs, World Champions!” the people would sing.
They had brought home the ring!

The years went on and there were no more championships.
Sometimes close, but from the grasp they would slip.
Sometimes the years were very unkind.
The loyal supporters he knew wondered, “How much more time?”
He so wanted to see exultation on their faces.
Those loyal decked in red cheering, filling the seats spaces.

All he wanted was one more game day.
He just wanted a chance to compete, come what may.
Many times the day’s toil ended in defeat.
Yet, he preached patience, and improvement, never retreat.

The third sets of lights blinked, blinked again and were out.

IV.
Now the remaining lights cast a long shadow on him.
Then another shadow could be seen in the dim.
From the stadium’s tunnel, the shadow walked into the end zone.
“C’mon Lamar,” said a gentle voice from a body of stone.
He walked towards his old friend, Buck Buchanan.
“My friend,” number eighty-six said, “You are done.”

He crossed the goal line.
He was out of time.
The stadium clock read zero, zero.
Then other friends appeared, all great heroes.
There was Fifty-eight, seventy-five, thirty-seven and many more.
They all told Lamar he had won, the final score. 

The last bank of lights bluish white glow faded dark.

V.
Through the light of the tunnel, he left with his friends.
You could hear cheers at the end.
Is the measure of a man in the wins and losses of life?
For him, to be sure there was triumph and strife.

Victory can be counted in many ways.
Ultimately, it is in how you spent your days.
He only knew what is learned in Sunday school.
Rich man, poor man, everyone should be treated by the golden rule.
So, humbly he lived his life with class, kindness and decency.
Surely for this man were life, joy and victory.

Who Dey Gonna Arrest Next Bengals Fans?

Last Saturday night, the Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Deltha O’Neal was pulled over for drunk driving in suburban Clermont County, Ohio. He is the eighth Bengal player this season to end up in court. I ask, as I have asked many times in recent years, “When is enough, enough?”

I say this in the broader context of sports. It would be easy to point out the Bengals, but they are far from the only team to have its players get into trouble with the law. It is amongst a number of things such as this farcical cycle of player does X and then holds press conference, or club officials do, there is an apology and then every thing is ok. This sort of thing has forced me this year to finally back away somewhat from sports. I have especially backed away from American football in the National Football League, my favorite sport. I have been working on a new perspective on what part sports plays in my life and where I think it should be in American society.  I will speak out on sports from time to time in Gentleman Agitator.

Some ardent sports fans out there might interpret my knock on a Bengal as some dislike of the team. Actually, just the opposite. The Bengals are one of only two teams I openly support in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs, my hometown team are number one and the Cincinnati Bengals, number two.  I grew up around the Chiefs, as my late father was the team physician for twenty years. So, I know what it is like to be on the inside of professional football. I have liked the Bengals for a long time, because I like to support the city of Cincinnati. I also like underdogs and like to watch long losing teams rise to winners. Lastly, because orange is my favorite color and I love that orange and black! I was definitely laughed at in years past about liking the Bengals.  I believe in loyalty to teams, and am not a bandwagon jumper on whatever team is the most “popular.”

After Deltha O’Neil’s charge, the Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis, told the press: "I don't think you guys (should) attack me because I think you know what I stand for," Lewis said. "Unfortunately, I can't hold their hands 24/7, but it is embarrassing. It's an embarrassment to our organization, to our city and to our fans. These things socially are not right…”

I do have respect for Marvin Lewis. He is one of my favorite coaches in the NFL. I believe he stands for in conduct does is the same as the behavior of some of his players. That does not mean he does not have to take some responsibility for the type of player who puts on the tiger stripes. The NFL likes to talk of how at they look at the character of a player and not just their time in a forty-yard dash. I do not think that a coach has to hold the hand of his players 24/7. However, you cannot talk about how embarrassing it is, not right, and then do little or nothing about it!

"…Hopefully this is a positive, so our young people who are fans understand there are certain things in our society that are unacceptable. It doesn't matter what you do for a living or who you are, you've got to follow those rules and laws," said Coach Lewis. This would be a good statement except that our young people often see these kind of actions as things you can get away with, rather than unacceptable. It happens repeatedly. Outside of the legal implications, what message has been sent to athletes about their off field behavior? All I have seen are paltry fines, relative to the large, often multi-million dollar salaries and a few games suspension. Ooh, that will show them. What a farce!

Coach Lewis also said, "Our guys have to understand you cannot drink and drive," Lewis said. "You tarnish your image. You tarnish your reputation. It doesn't go away easy. It may be your first time, but it doesn't go away easy. "Fortunately, again, no one was injured. But this is still a privilege to play on this team and play in the National Football League. It ought to be accepted that way. So it's a disappointment, we’ve dealt with it, and we'll continue to deal with it. ... These people put themselves at risk as far as being in the league."
Coach, I do not think they are hearing you. What would it take? Does someone have to die?  So what about some real consequences? How about, one offense, out for the season without pay? Two offenses and the player is cut from his team, without the rest of his salary. Three and lifetime banishment from the league. This sounds easy. Sadly, the situation for Coach Lewis and sports in general is not so easy. Why? Because of only one thing, money.  The sporting world now is the proverbial dragon eating itself, all because of money.  The owners, the players, the players unions, the media, the cities, big corporate advertisers. They do not dare do anything to keep the money from moving. The all yell, “Show me the money!”

I will comment more on this in later dispatches on the Gentleman Agitator. I will talk about how chasing the buck has deteriorated what might be termed classical “athletics.” I will tell you what Schottenheimer Syndrome is. No, it’s not Marty’s inability to get a team to the Super Bowl. I will challenge the question: Does sports just reflect the state of our society? How should fans and there by, their cities, relate to athletes, who by putting on the uniform represent that city anymore? And last, what can be done about the way things are if anything?

P.S.: The term, "Who Dey," the title refers to Bengals fans favorite cheer. "Who dey think gonna beat them Bengals?"