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Sportsmanship Revisited
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by Let me ask you; suppose someone, okay, say John Kerry, walked up to George Bush and shot him dead. Would everyone just shrug, ‘that’s politics’, then walk away? Of course not, that would be absurd. So why is the same behavior condoned by OUR OWN PEOPLE? Now before everyone protests in unison, allow me to remind you that I know who Larry Schwartzbach’s real murderer is and how the evil deed was done. His killer goes free to this day and even still races, yet everyone naively chirps ‘that’s racing’ and turns a deaf ear to that sort of thing. Perhaps you’ve watched the playback of Sterling Marlin nosing Dale Earnhardt into the retainer on that fateful day. You probably even remember the ‘that’s racing’ chorus that everyone sang at the funeral. Dale used that same tactic to garner the nom de guerre, ‘The Intimidator’, so why mourn when it happened to him, right? Where will it all end? Will someone launch an inquiry when you get smudged from the Book of Life? When do we say ‘we’re going to do better’, and actually mean it? What about the young fans that watch racing and look to us to set a good example? Does anyone even care anymore? We used to say that the right way to competitive riding/driving skills was to race at the track and not on the street; yet at my mountain home in Asheville, North Carolina, one Asheville cop remarked that the state should take down the I-240 signs and put up NASCAR signs. People imitate what they see on the television to live out their racing fantasies on the public roads. Can you see where this is headed? Remember the Seventies’ movie Rollerball? Same deal. Several years ago, I recall seeing people and camera crews cluster around a young racer who held everyone’s attention that year in the paddock. I asked myself what was so unusual about this person that everyone found so fascinating? There had been girl racers before; it wasn’t that. It wasn’t even that she had an intriguing accent. You want to know what it really was? She set a good example. During a recent lunch with an old friend, I mentioned the controversial difference of opinion between Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. Naturally I spoke of the matter in a disparaging light. I said that I felt that the two of them had blacked the eyes of the only sport that has not wallowed wholesale in scandal. He grinned a wry smile and stated that car-bashing sells tickets and fills the stands. People clamor to watch these idiots duke it out on the asphalt. Maybe so. I wouldn’t know about that sort of thing, since I refuse to watch NASCAR on TV anymore. On a more uplifting note, I recently read in the September, 2004 issue of European Car (page 28) about a racer who set a good example of proper comportment. In his column, British racer Alistair Weaver recounts a story about an orphanage in rural Brazil that is kept alive ten years after Ayrton Senna’s death by the Brazilian Formula One driver’s generosity. I heartily recommend the five dollar purchase of the magazine to read it for yourself. I’m not going to paint you a pretty, Norman Rockwell picture with racers handing little kids ice cream cones and letting them climb aboard their race bikes. What I am going to tell you is that first impressions usually last. The image you have of a person is one that you can either cherish or despise for a very long time. Forget for a moment about crew chiefs, team owners, or sponsors that you might have to answer to. Forget even about manufacturers and sanctioning bodies. Look in the mirror. Is that someone you think people will admire for being savvy, or is that someone who is going to be a credit to this sport? You don’t have to pay attention to me, this is simply my opinion. I have a special place in my heart and mind for racing that’s populated with the likes of people like Ayrton Senna, not with the dregs like Kenseth and Harvick. Will you be there? I certainly hope so. Remember, you’re the person that makes the choice. Vaya con Dios. |