Sports Heroes

Heroes and Villains: Fiction For Sport

There are no superheroes in real life, nor in the sports world. Superman is a comic creation, not Shaquile O’Neal’s alter ego. Vigilantes like Batman are given jail sentences, not revered as demi-gods. The Miami Heat are not villains in the sense that they lurk in a dark cave plotting how to take over the world; they are just a group of highly paid professionals, just like the rest of the NBA.

Fun Fact: These two aren't the same type of villain

I believe we live in a world without heroes. The most magnificent people in the world are largely ignored by the public. Good parents are heroes. Teachers can be heroes. Firefighters, police officers, hard-working individuals who risk their lives for a public service. Even then, all humans have their flaws, and just because someone is a dedicated firefighter does not mean that they are morally righteous people. Joe Firefighter might be a convicted criminal who used to save people from burning buildings. Police officers can take bribes. Would we want to call anyone a hero if we know they’re imperfect? And if so what would that say about us? Should we idolize every aspect of a person?

When I was younger my father was my hero; but by the age of 12 we all have a moment where we realize that our parents are human and flawed like the rest of us. I’m about at the age where my parents are becoming more like friends again, rather than the authority figures I hate just a bit as a teenager, because who doesn't?

I don’t believe in heroes in sport. That was broken a long time ago with my first sports hero, Mark McGwire. When he testified in front of Congress, the damning act of his post-career life, 13-year old Danny lost faith in sports heroes, and it’s made it easier to be a sports fan without being obsessed with the individual. Sport is entertainment, both for participation and spectating.

This moment made me stop believing that athletes are heroes

I root for teams, and I use the inclusive “we” when the team loses. When my Mets, Jaguars, Celtics, and Islanders lose games (A LOT OF GAMES) I feel the pain. And I have players I love regardless of what team they play on (David Wright, Aaron Rodgers, Kevin Garnett, Maurice Jones-Drew, Steve Nash) but I take my worship with a grain of salt: I recognize most professional athletes are not morally sound characters, and it’s always a nice thing when they’re also humanitarians of some charity. David Wright’s foundation benefits individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, for example, and Kevin Garnett calls fellow NBA players “cancer victims”. I may form opinions about which one I like better, but I have to expect the bombshells from my favorite players otherwise it’s too easy to be disgusted by athletes.

Good Guy David Wright may have some darker secrets,
but is it wrong to worship him while his image is still squeaky clean?

I have my heroes from the era, and I will be heartbroken when they fall. I love Mike Piazza; one of my first baseball games he hit a walk-off homer against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the 11th. Until he gets into the Hall of Fame, it seems like the opinion is to judge him harshly for steroid rumors. It’s not that I cheated, it’s that someone I believed in cheated. I think it’s more important to only be disappointed in yourself otherwise these semi-celebrities who we actually know very little about can let us down. It’s better to form heroes on people we know, love, and most of all trust. I trust David Wright to hit doubles in the clutch, not set moral standards for my children in the future. I trust DeSean Jackson to catch touchdown passes, not teach lessons about selflessness. And maybe these lowered expectations make it easier to be a sports fan.