Maybe it's because I'm not really a sports fan.
I like the home team, wherever I live. I support the local school team, even if my kids aren't on it.
And of course, I'm a fan of any team my kids are on, no matter how bad they play.
And I host get togethers for big sporting events, even if I don't watch or care who's playing.
I go to events with friends, but being with friends far surpasses the team - I'd do anything to have my Dad back
again so we could hang out with his ancient friends at Naval Academy games, even though I was barely paying
attention.
So I've never really understood athlete worship. Sure, I like to see some of them do seriously amazing and seemingly
impossible things. Sometimes I swear Jordan could actually fly. Watching Clemens fan batter after batter was amazing
when I lived near Fenway. But when I leave the stadium or park, it's over.
They're not heroes. As Barkley might say, they're not role models. They play a game, and we pay to watch them do it.
Ditto movie stars and musicians. My kids even go nuts over social media stars, which I don't get at all - usually to be
a movie star or athlete or musician, you need a modicum of actual talent.
A favorite quote from one of my favorite movies (and whether Patton said it or not - who knows)
“For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeteers, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conquerors rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting.”