by John Scanlan
It’s good to know Bill Shaikin of the LA Times…
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-shaikin12-2009jul12,0,1039253.story
…reads Quick Scans:
http://midvalleysports.com/?p=1822
Steve McNair was called a hero by some fans and friends in the wake of his death a couple weeks ago. The hero police were on the case, declaring that McNair can’t be called a hero, considering he was only a football player and the circumstances under which he died.
Personally, I have no problem with people wanting to declare him a hero. There are many spectrums of heroism. Someone who says they view McNair as a hero isn’t saying, “Yeah, he went out like a true playa’…he’s my hero!” They saw him as a hero in the area where he was most recognized: as a football player.
They’re not saying McNair is saving lives like firefighters or policemen do. They’re not saying McNair helped protect our freedoms by serving in the military. They’re not saying McNair ran into a burning building and saved a litter of kittens. They are not minimizing anything those people have done. They’re not going to run out and take up a mistress who isn’t above the legal drinking age in homage to McNair, nor are they advocating it.
All they are saying is, as a football player, McNair was their hero.
Now someone who says O.J. Simpson or Mel Hall was their hero could probably have to offer a qualifier that it is purely based on their athletic accomplishments. McNair fans shouldn’t have to nor should they be scolded for believing as such.
When I was a kid, one of my heroes was Pete Rose. I enjoyed the way he played the game. His subsequent actions since leaving baseball have caused me to separate Rose the player and Rose the man. I can still admire what he did on the baseball field without condoning his actions off it. Orel Hershiser was also a hero of mine and all I saw him do was throw a baseball.
I can also say that Pat Tillman is a hero of time without pretending that he, Rose and Hershiser are on the same plane of heroism. I can say I enjoy Sbarro without it being a slight to Mama Petrillo’s.
So before we get all aghast at the notion that someone considers Steve McNair a hero, take a step back and consider what they really mean.
Quick Scans plays the role of hero every Monday-Thursday on midvalleysports.com
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