Claire Fahy
Sports Editor
Modesty.
In a sports era when professional athletes and owners haggle over how many millions of dollars they deserve to be paid, college athletes receive generous endorsements from big-name companies and high school stand-outs get major bonuses and perks for choosing to bring their talents to certain colleges, such a concept can be hard to come by.
It’s the little things like celebratory hand gestures that convey an unappealing sense of arrogance to sports fans. Thumping chests and pointing skyward after swishing the ball through the hoop or mockingly polishing the boot of a successful teammate after their goal not only sends a pointed message to the opposition, but to the crowd as well.
The average sports fan will never be a college athlete let alone a national star. Many people who tune into games frequently may not even be all that athletic or talented at sports. But through their TV screens, they get the chance to touch greatness along with the athletes they avidly follow.
If a player is talented and makes key plays, a fan not only cheers with him, but celebrates along with him as well. High-fives and cheers abound. But if the player starts screaming into the crowd, aggressively pumping his fist and tearing at his jersey, the fan loses him and becomes turned off by his behavior. The connection is lost.
It’s the silent athletes who are most impressive, the ones who calmly do what they know they do best — throw touchdowns, sink 3-pointers, strike goals — and carry on.
These athletes receive equal amounts of praise and adulation, but in a more dignified manner. They are held in higher regard because they hold themselves with more respect, and in turn hold more respect for the game.
With glossy advertising deals, personal shoe and sportswear lines and endorsements from popular brands such as Gatorade, it’s easy to lose sight of the athlete behind the fame and money.
Behind the sponsorship, publicity, and stardom is a regular person who started out like everyone else — a hoop nailed above their garage door, a net assembled in his or her backyard, a cheap baseball glove for Christmas. Most athletes came from humble beginnings and make themselves the top competitors of their field.
That’s what’s impressive, that’s what deserves to be seen. Not the hype, but the average boy or girl who pushed him or herself to be the best of the best.
