“Bravery doesn’t mean you aren’t scared, it means you go anyway.” Unknown
prologue VBV examines celebrity, media, and sports heroes in America
On February 6, 1895, an American hero was born. He was baseball’s first great slugger and is one of only three men to record more than 700 career home runs. SomeEmes called “The Sultan of Swat” or “The Great Bambino,” an adjecEve—Ruthian—was even created to describe his mighty swing. He was the most famous athlete of his Eme, one of the most famous people in the world. George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Jr. is an early example of the hero/celebrity phenomena that emerged in twenEeth-‐century America. Ruth first earned recogniEon as a sports hero for his on-‐ field feats, which have been scarcely challenged and nearly unmatched since the start of his baseball career almost a century ago. In 1919, Ruth smacked 29 balls out of ballparks across the naEon and gave America its first taste of the swing that changed baseball forever.
In 1920, Babe Ruth , set a slugging percentage record that remained untouched until 2001, and in 1927, his home run record peaked at 60 in one season. Yet Ruth was known for more than his athletic achievement and on-field feats. He was also known for his image and popular media appeal—aspects of his character that earned him recognition beyond baseball heroics.
BABE RUTH Stories of Inspira4on and Achievement, Ruth’s appeEte for all parts of life, good and bad, was larger-‐ than-‐life and kept him in the headlines and the public eye as much as his baseball skills. “He was America’s first transcendent sports superstar,” an athlete so celebrated and talked-‐about that he leW the sports pages behind and entered the wider American consciousness.”
Ruth’s hero/celebrity image is characterisEc of most heroes today. Some scholars wonder if modern Emes have changed the nature of heroes, if celebriEes have replaced heroes. Most scholars aYribute the change, and thus the hero/celebrity dichotomy, to the development and evoluEon of the mass media. Some even think that celebrity superstars because of their media presence have displaced modern American heroes.
VBV will argue the opposite—that modern Emes have not changed the nature of heroes and that American heroes do sEll exist against the invasive background of the media’s saturaEon coverage of celebriEes. VBV will therefore explore the link between heroes, celebriEes, and the media in America.
In the beginning
Heroes are men and women who “transcend ordinary human qualities and embody the divine, the ideal, the quest, the courageous, the virtuous and the superior.” Heroes are romantic and idealistic. They exemplify characteristics that motivate or inspire mankind and make ordinary people strive to achieve heightened levels of personal greatness. Not only do heroes emerge in 20th and 21st century America but in all cultures and in all times. Not only do they emerge in sport, but also in myth, politics and war, medicine, religion and science, literature, and music, all cultures have heroes and all cultures need heroes. Today, however, the creation of modern heroes is threatened, not by the media, but by disbelievers— people who openly dispute the existence of heroes because of the evolution of celebrity journalism and the ease with which people gain access to the public eye. Sports heroes like Ruth are sometimes known for the numbers they post and the records they break. Others, however, are known for strong character, or unmatched courage or passion, the ability to unite or a willingness to sacrifice that inspires Americans and touches the soul of the nation.
The Gas and Flame Division hYp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_Corps
Christy
Mathewson
Ty Cobb
Branch Rickey
Duty honor heroes “Every military member that has given his or her life should be given the same respect as the other. None, alive or dead, are more important than the next,. Each and every one should be held to the same high regard.” Unknown
While many servicemen have gone on to careers in industries far and wide, there have also been many professional athletes who enlisted, many in the prime of their careers (most recently and notably, Pat Tillman). Herein: Sports Illustrated list of the top five athletes who were veterans both on and off the fields of play.
1. Ted Williams: Regarded by many as the greatest hiYer of all-‐Eme, the Splendid Splinter played 19 seasons in the big leagues but had his baseball career interrupted twice when he served as a pilot for the Marine Corps in WWII and the Korean War. 2. David Robinson: AWer a stellar college career at the Naval Academy, Robinson was draWed first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1987 DraW, but put off his NBA career for two seasons to serve out his Eme in the Navy. Robinson reEred in 2003 with an MVP award and two NBA Etles. 3. Roger Staubach: Played three seasons at the Naval Academy and won a Heisman Trophy, then served a five-‐year hitch in the Navy, including one year in Vietnam. Reported to duty in 1969 with the Dallas Cowboys at the age of 27. Then won two Superbowls and was named to six Pro Bowls. 4. Gene Tunney: Known as "The FighEng Marine," Tunney was the heavyweight champion of the world from 1926-‐28, reEring undefeated. He book-‐ended his boxing career with sEnts in the armed forces, serving in the Marines during WWI and the Navy during WWII. 5. Bob Feller: As a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, in the '30s and '40s, Feller was arguably the most dominant pitcher in baseball. One year aWer throwing a no-‐hiYer, following the aYack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Feller enlisted in the Navy. He served four years aboard the USS Alabama, then returned to the Indians and pitched for another decade.
JACKIE Robinson Jackie Robinson became one of those heroes in 1947—the first year he played baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the first time an African American played in the major leagues. He is remembered for breaking the color barrier in American sports and is admired for a character that was “strong enough not to fight back.”
Likewise, Robinson’s attitude in the face of prejudice, the venom of fans and opposing players, and the weight of a nation of black citizens whose hopes he represented, remains one of the most courageous acts in the long history of civil rights.” Robinson was not only a pioneer in race relations,, but was said to be a gentleman of the highest order, a courageous defender of human rights, and an incredible ballplayer too. Robinson’s brand of Heroism lives on through men like Lieutenant Col. Gregory Godson who inspires others to do more with less, and recognizes that duty and honor are not optional.
JOE LOUIS Like Robinson, other heroes have emerged from sports not only because of superior athleEcism or impressive staEsEcs, but also because of inspiring stories and symbolic feats. Joe Louis, for example, became a symbol of naEonal pride when he “went to war in the boxing ring against German Max Schmeling.”
The match took place in 1938, a Eme when fascism posed a direct threat to democracy and Adolf Hitler posed a direct threat to mankind. The match was no contest: World War II lasted nearly six years but Schmeling lasted a brief 124 seconds. As a result of the win, Louis emerged on top of the world and will remain so American consciousness.
Heroic Evolution Similarly, the 1980 U.S. hockey team achieved heroic status at the winter Olympics when it defied all odds and made history by defeating the Soviet Union on the ice in Lake Placid, NY. The victory was epic—it symbolized America’s triumph over its bitter enemy during the Cold War and, it touched every part of America. “Stories were told of restaurant patrons standing and singing, of hospitals putting TVs into emergency rooms so doctors could watch, of high school gymnasiums standing and applauding when the score was announced,” he says. U.S. Team later defeated Finland to win Olympic gold but the symbolic victory against the Soviets was the win that made them heroes. Another pop culture hero is Hall of fame catcher Yogi Berra, who generated Yogiisms, and a cartoon
character Yogi Bear named for him.
“It ain't over 4ll it's over.”
Yogi Berra
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The Babe—a man remembered for his swing; Robinson—a man remembered for his courage and composure; Louis—a man remembered for his symbolic victory against Hitler and Nazi Germany; and the 1980 U.S. hockey team—men remembered for embodying the American spirit and symbolizing American strength and resolve during a time of uncertainty. The heroic nature of these men, exemplified through accomplishment and great deeds, is not unlike the nature of heroes from the past—mythic heroes from Greece and Rome who were also known for inspiring triumphs, success, and strong will.
ARTHUR ASHE Hero first appeared in Homer’s Iliad—the oldest surviving Greek epic told by one of the earliest, perhaps the earliest, epic storyteller of all time. In antiquity, hero “was a name given to each free man who had participated in the Trojan War and about whom a story could be told.”
True heroism is remarkably sober, very un-‐drama4c. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.
Arthur Ashe
Since then, its definiEon has evolved: Hero, a name given to men and women of superhuman strength, courage, or ability, favored by the gods; regarded later as demigods, and immortal. 2. One who does brave or noble deeds; an illustrious warrior 1586. 3. A man or woman who exhibits extraordinary bravery, firmness, or greatness of soul, in connecEon with any pursuit, work, or enterprise; a man or woman admired and venerated for his or her achievements and noble qualiEes. Arthur Ashe embodies most of these aYributes, yet he fails to make ESPN’s top North Americana Athletes of the century hYp://espn.go.com/sportscentury/athletes.html. Despite his omission, ESPN’s top award for courage, a special ESPY, and a tennis stadium in Flushing New York are named in his honor.
Heroic Evolution Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary provides the following definitions for hero: 1 a: a mythological or legendary figure of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b: an illustrious warrior c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d: one that shows great courage 2 a: the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work b: the central figure in an event, period, or movement.
The Oxford University DicEonary and the Merriam-‐Webster Online DicEonary seem to provide comprehensive definiEons for hero. Both indicate Ees between hero and mythology, and hero and ficEonal characters. Both define hero as an illustrious warrior, or someone superhuman or divine. And both idenEfy heroes as men admired for their achievements and noble qualiEes.
Heroic Evolution Are their achievements less significant? Are the dictionary definitions incomplete because they fail to distinguish Ruth from the local doctor? No. Saving a life is certainly not less significant than recording more than 700 career home runs and the definitions of hero provided by Oxford University and Merriam-Webster are certainly not incomplete. Yet an important distinction exists between the two. Press coverage of local heroes is minimal while coverage of national icons heroes is constant and extensive. Local heroes appear once or twice on the inside pages of small daily papers while icons get headline news across the nation. “Poor is the na4on that has no heroes, shameful is the the na4on that does not honor them.”
Unknown
PAT TILlMAN The disparity in coverage causes national icons to gain a certain image—a celebrity image, which generates their distinction from local, small-town heroes. Despite the distinction, however, the nature of both local and national heroes remains the same: Both are recognized for admirable achievements or good deeds, and both serve to inspire, motivate, or encourage mankind. Why would a man exchange an expensive home for a tent? What would motivate him to give up popping running backs to dodge bullets? The actions of the hero always transcend selfish human calculation. The hero is the man or woman who cannot help but respond to a calling.
In American Heroes in a Media Age, consider the link between heroes and the media. The very notion of hero directly relates to the means of communicating about heroic actions and their perpetrators, they say. As a result, “an unsung hero’ is an oxymoron. Without the story and the storyteller there can be no fame, and without fame individual acts, no matter how courageous, become part of the passing parade Local heroes, therefore, may enjoy no more than 15 minutes of fame provided by a community newspaper. News coverage and feature stories about icons, however, appear daily in print and broadcast media. The implication: modern heroes depend on media interest and coverage to gain the recognition they need as a hero.
Muhammad Ali Assuming at least some correlation between heroes and the media, the advent of celebrity journalism has caused some scholars to reason that celebrities have displaced traditional heroes, the kind from Greek and Roman mythology. Alternatively, VBV will argue that celebrity journalism has not caused the extinction of heroes nor caused the fundamental nature of heroes to change. Has the nature of communication and technology changed? Yes. Have celebrities emerged as part of American culture? Yes. These modern developments, however, have not caused the extinction nor changes to the basic nature of heroes. An analysis of Muhammad Ali will explore these themes, as well as the overall link between modern heroes, celebrities, and the media in America. If Ali, “The Greatest” was a hero, what does that make the other men and women mentioned in this timeline?