Usain, “It’s All About Me,” Bolt

Luang Prabang, Laos-photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman

On the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other days and other fields will bear the fruits of victory.
General Douglas MacArthur (1880 - 1964)

He is the greatest sprinter of all time and quick to remind the world of the fact.  After anchoring the Jamaican Mens 4 x 100 meter relay team to a 2012 Olympic Gold Medal in world record time, he declared the result’s inevitability and his objective to become a “legend.”  Missing was any mention of teammates or country, it was simply about him, God’s gift to the world.

Contrast Bolt’s behavior with the participants on the American Women’s 4 x 100 meter and 4 x 400 meter Gold Medal relay teams.  Sports announcers, seeing another opportunity to fan the fires of egotism, did their best to goad their belle, Allyson Felix, to proclaim her greatness.  Dashing their hopes and not taking the bait, she and her teammates modestly praised one another’s mutual efforts.  No Pulitzer for these journalists who can never use the words athleticism and respect too often.
 
Sportscasters often bring out the worst in athletes, conducting interviews in hopes of provoking outrageous responses.  No antic is too bizarre to air to the public–from changing one’s name to a jersey number or to two nouns proclaiming love for humanity.  Unless the athlete possesses a reasonable degree of maturity and sophistication it is an easy trap to set.  It all started harmlessly enough when Cassius Clay recited rhymed predictions of his upcoming boxing matches to Howard Cosell.  Like no other athlete, he was handsome and articulate with exceptional athletic skills and able to parlay these attributes to fame and fortune.  The quest to discover the next Muhammed Ali remains elusive, for no amount of prodding and reinvention can transform a mono syllabic millionaire into a cultural icon.

In 1940 my father signed a professional football contract to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers Football Club.  Its author, Dennis Shea, the club’s business manager, highlighted the philosophy of professional sports at the time: 

“The player is expected to conduct himself always like a gentleman and an athlete, and to keep in the best possible physical condition. We have no place for wastrels, dissipaters, or cheaters.”

“We do not present professional football as a major life pursuit, nor the short bridge to fortune. It does, however, provide a young college grad with means to tide over that perilous period between graduation and the time for deciding what shall be his life pursuit.”
   
A few athletes like Usain Bolt will make a fortune using bravado and outlandish behavior to draw the crowd’s attention.  Most of lesser ability or luck who resort to this type of behavior will find it poorly suited for success outside the athletic field.  It would be far better to take note of Lebron James’ reaction after his team won the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal.  When the world's best basketball player was asked what the victory meant to him, he simply replied,  “It’s about these three letters on our chest–U.S.A.”