The Advance

Issue date: 10/6/06 Section: Opinion

A smattering of NFL and NBA players rant about a lack of "respect" when they hear their name treated with scorn, or as they apparently believe to be worse, not mentioned at all, by the media. It seems to me, however, that their definition of respect is almost synonymous with the word "praise." They want somebody to pat them on the back and give them some kind of a trophy; either that or they want the money that goes along with the publicity. Or, perhaps there is some other reason that athletic stars crave the simple mention of their name in a positive fashion on ESPN. But, whatever the reason, I, personally, can't think of very many instances where the guys that cry out for respect win championships. Does Tiger Woods ask for respect? No, the brutha just works his butt off and wins golf tournaments. Did the New England Patriots spend their Superbowl-winning seasons talking about how great they were? What about Michael Jordan? I believe that he, like current players such as Tim Duncan, would never have said a word about his accomplishments if people hadn't asked him about them.
I've heard that the soccer players got together to spread just such a message of humility for the good of the team. We can all learn from this, not only in our activities, but in our classes. I'm a slacker, too, but I intend to follow the example of those hardworking athletes who give a good name to our school. If I were Monarch, the humble people would be the ones who get the national attention, not the guys in pro sports who are constantly causing a ruckus.

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