Was I too hard on athletes yesterday ?
Certainly unfair, if I tarnished every performer with the same brush after the hard-to-explain actions of a select few this summer.
Fair enough.
Do I still believe athletes can be, and should be, significant role models ?
Certainly.
Let me use amateur sports as my background, in particular the Canadian Men’s Fastball Championship last week in Owen Sound.
All 8 teams had a bat boy, in almost every case it was a youngster from Owen Sound and area, assigned to a specific team for the entire week.
While I didn’t see it, it’s my understanding an entire team went to their bat boys’ minor softball game and rooted for the kid, the way the kid rooted for them.
A grandmother told me yesterday that the team her grandson represented took a collection and presented him with a fat 3 digit bonus for his hard work.
And what of Darren Zack, the legendary pitcher who was inducted into the I.S.F. Hall of Fame, to launch the tournament in Owen Sound ?
Far from a big shot, Zack graciously made a special presentation to two up & coming stars from our region; Travis Jones & Caleb Keeshig
How meaningful were those actions by West Side Charlie’s, the Fredericton Poker Twins, the South Hill Giants & by Darren Zack ?
Short term and long term, it’s clear these actions represent the behaviour sports role models should adhere to.
I’m Fred Wallace