Agents of change make best Christmas presence
Real sports ‘heroes’ help Newtown cope with tragedy, while emotional
coaches call for everyone to act, not just talk about violence
This article appeared in today's Vancouver Sun sports section:
By Gord Kurenoff
Vancouver Sun
Twas the day before Christmas, when all through The Sun
house, not a creature was stirring, except for me and my Mac mouse — and I got
to thinking ...
As thinning sports departments across this wonderful nation
strain brains trying to produce relevant and-or titillating stories which will
hold the interests of a growing audience that prefers its “deep thoughts” in
140 characters or less, plenty gets overlooked or purposely omitted.
Competing for attention in a 24/7 media-fuelled world where
people become famous for no reason — hello Paris Hilton, Kardashian sisters,
cast members of Jersey Shore — or for all the wrong reasons — hello O.J.,
Charlie Sheen, NRA presidents, Elmo — sports scribes scramble to enlighten and
educate, some without resorting to shock and awe, some less self-absorbed than
others.
These wordsmiths find such stories and controversies in a
wide world of sports densely populated by polarizing figures such as Tiger
Woods, Graham James, Lance Armstrong, Gary Bettman, Ben Roethlisberger, John
Tortorella and Barry Bonds.
Sports journos can ignite debate with complex offerings
about post-concussion syndrome, doping, dog fighting, racism and violence. They
can raise room temperatures sharing jerk du jour tales of people sending “junk”
mail (hello Brett Favre) or insensitive tweets (hello Nik Lewis, Khalif
Mitchell), or of brain-dead “fans” who email death threats to NFL quarterbacks
for such atrocities as ruining their weekly pool.
We also read, sadly and repeatedly, about sports super
heroes whose Kryptonite happens to be booze, drugs, infidelity, weapons,
gambling, domestic violence, egotism or stupidity.
On one page we feature doctors and respected sports leaders
calling for an end to violence, be it on the football field, lacrosse box or
hockey rink, while on the facing page highlight the rising MMA star who insists
tapping out while having your face and ears permanently disfigured is unmanly.
It is an interesting time.
Much like the divisive topics of abortion, gun control, gay
marriage and the legalization of marijuana that fills many news sections, the
sports sandbox has its contentious subjects and personalities who ensure common
ground will forever remain an oxymoron.
But every so often there are inspiring sports personalities
who emerge to remind us kindness trumps all, even in the face of evil and
unfathomable tragedy.
Such was the case last week where New York Giants’ receiver
Victor Cruz — without prompting or PR handlers in-tow — paid a visit to Jack
Pinto’s grieving family in Newtown, one day after they buried the six-year-old
who was among the victims of the most deadly elementary school shooting in
American history.
The Grade 1 Connecticut student, wounded beyond recognition,
was laid to rest in a small Victor Cruz jersey. His dream, his crushed parents
revealed, was to one day see the Pro Bowl receiver in action.
“There are no words that can describe the type of feeling
you get when a kid idolizes you so much that they want to, unfortunately, put
him in casket with your jersey on,” said Cruz, who spent almost an hour meeting
with Jack’s grieving parents last Tuesday.
Coming off Superstorm Sandy’s devastation to his
neighbourhood and the need to prepare for his NFL game with playoff
implications on the line, Cruz had every acceptable excuse to pass on this
gut-wrenching appearance, but elected to man up and make a meaningful
difference.
Then there’s Derek Jeter, the all-class shortstop for the
New York Yankees who has been the model athlete for doing the right thing since
putting on the Bronx Bombers’ pinstripes.
When he heard that Sandy Hook teacher Victoria Soto — shot
to death while protecting her horrified Grade 1 students — was a devoted
Yankees’ fan, he called the victim’s mother, Donna Soto, a few hours before the
funeral service.
James Wiltsie, a cousin of the 27-year-old teacher, said her
love for the Yankees was part of the emotional eulogy and that nobody asked
Jeter to call, he just reached out to offer his personal condolences.
“It was the only time I saw Donna smile. That call meant the
world to a mother whose world had just completely crumbled ... it brings some
comfort to know that people like Derek Jeter recognize Vicki as a hero. ... it
brings more comfort to know that people like Derek Jeter exist.”
Then there’s Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans, who one
day after writing the names of every Sandy Hook victim on his cleats for a
nationally televised Monday night game, called Jack McDonnell, the older
brother of seven-year-old Grace by request of the grieving family.
“I lost my grandmother earlier in the year and just knowing
how that feels. I just kind of wanted to do something to at least try to lift
his spirits,” said Johnson, fighting back tears. “That was tougher than playing
football. But I had to do something, I just had to.”
These stories, often left off sports pages to make room for
police blotters, lockout updates and other silly screw-up of the week notes,
need a more permanent home. For every Sean Avery bonehead move that makes news,
there are generous gestures from real stars like Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
Perhaps the most impressive acts, however, came
from basketball coaches Jim Boeheim of Syracuse and Winthrop’s Pat Kelsey, the
latter who used his time during a post-loss media conference last Wednesday to
address the tragedy in Newtown and called for people from all walks of life to
become difference makers, starting today.
“I’m going to personally be an agent of change with the 13
young men I get to coach every day and the two little girls at home that I get
to raise.
“ ... Parents, teachers, rabbis, priests, coaches, athletes,
everybody needs to step up now. This has to be a time for change, not just more
talk.”
Boeheim, who declined last Monday to discuss his impressive
900th career victory so he could address gun control, offered: “If we in this
country cannot get the people who represent us to do something about firearms,
we are a sad, sad society.
“My 900 wins means nothing today when we are burying
children who we failed to protect as adults.”
As Edmund Burke once said: “The only thing necessary for the
triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.”
Merry Christmas folks.
My brother Ward and I have humongous plans for the new year to make this little ole' address on the Internet fun and worth visiting (even though giving away money was the No. 1 idea suggested by family and accidental readers forced to view this in 2012).
