Sherman went on to disgrace Crabtree in the postgame press conference, pointing out the term 'mediocre' again and again. I get a lot about football, but I don't get this. I kid my friends that I know the most about two things: the Bible and football. I spent five seasons in an SEC locker room. Adrenaline is high in and after a game. I'm glad all I've ever said on a field wasn't recorded. But this was clearly pre-meditated as it was repeated in the press-conference and on twitter and even Monday morning. And I don't get that.
I don't mind brashness and smack-talk. I may or may not have been known to talk a little smack in church-league basketball. I'm sorry, that's entirely inaccurate. I talked a lot of smack. It's not the dreads. I've got a man-crush on Todd Gurley (Running Back for my Dawgs) and his dreadlocks. And I would weep if Jarvis Jones cut his dreads. I love Marshawn Lynch, Sherman's teammate. It's not the cockiness. I wore #2 in high school because of one player: Prime Time -- Deion Sanders. I loved his showmanship. I like a good showman. I loved Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, the two worst trash-talkers in NBA history. Sports calls for a little bravado. Football calls for the most. And some of my favorite things about the NFL are touchdown and, more importantly, sack dances. It's a sport. It's supposed to be fun. Richard Sherman isn't fun. I think he's just a goober. This wasn't his first run-in with the media. He had a very awkward and mean-spirited conversation with Skip Bayless a year and a half ago on ESPN's First Take. Now, Bayless can be annoying himself, but I just don't get it.
I trust if you're reading this you've read enough to know a little about Sherman. He came from a tough neighborhood, but graduated 2nd in his class. He went to Stanford and got his degree. That's pretty much an equivalent of an Ivy League education. Stanford is no joke. They don't just give those degrees away. Richard Sherman is probably smarter than you and me. But he was not wise this past weekend. There's such a big difference in book smarts and wisdom. Sherman also volunteers in the community, going to speak at local schools and such. Is that a great thing for a pro athlete to do? Of course. But that does not define one's character in totality. Our words are also part of our character. And what parent now wants Shermon to come speak at their kid's school? The most important thing, for me, is the lessons to learn through this about ourselves. Moreover, these are important lessons to teach our young people who play sports.
- No matter what neighborhood you're from, you don't have permission to be a jerk. Just a hunch that Sherman's upbringing was tougher than mine. Lots of people grow up in tough neighborhoods and are wonderful people. Sherman has chosen this persona. We all get to choose.
- Never pick a fight with the media. The media always gets the last word and always wins.
- It's clear that cultural differences are persistent in America. I'm a white dude, and I can't escape that. I admit I don't understand everything about urban African-American culture, Hispanic culture, or Asian culture, or a thousand other cultures. Heck, I don't understand women (But what man really does?). But I don't think this was about "Oh, you just don't get black people." After watching that, the African-American fathers I know would have said to their sons, "Don't you ever act like that."
- I'm disappointed people turned on Richard Sherman with racial slurs. There's no place for it. I want us to get by and through this as a country. There is no race but the human race. We are all made in God's image. As I said, I think Sherman was just being a jerk, and those come in all shapes and sizes. I'm so grateful to pastor a diverse church with people from many different backgrounds.
- I am grateful that Sherman has apologized and realized he made a mistake. America has a large capacity to forgive, especially celebrities. People make mistakes. Sherman realized he took attention away from an historical game.
- I'm disappointed that in the seminal moment of his career, after making the biggest play he might ever make, he made this about him (and not his team) and turned it into an opportunity to lambaste an opposing player, who left it all on the field just like him. This might be the biggest moment in Seattle sports, and it has turned into a Sherman-fest, for all the wrong reasons. We're not talking about his play. We're talking about his mouth. Furthermoe, no matter what he said to Crabtree, you don't go over and slap the backside of an opponent in a moment like that. There's too much raw emotion, and it's simply rubbing it in. That was the take-away for me that has become clear the more I've thought about it.
You never bring honor to yourself by dishonoring others.
I don't know if Sherman is a Follower of Jesus. For those of us who are or are considering it, this is a crucial lesson. It is so easy to dishonor others. I found it odd this all happened on MLK weekend. This was not the way of Dr. King. Dr. King simply 'got it' when it came to understanding how connected we are has humans. In his book Stride Toward Freedom, King wrote, "Because men are brothers, if you harm me, you harm yourself...When I am commanded to love, I am commanded to restore community, to resist injustice, and to meet the needs of my brothers." That is the way of Jesus. By dishonoring Michael Crabtree, Richard Sherman brought dishonor to himself. Richard Sherman might be on of the top two corners in the game today, but I contrasted his comments and postgame reaction with those of one of the top four or five cornerbacks of all time after the AFC Championship Game:
Champ Bailey. First Ballot Hall of Fame Cornerback. 12 Pro Bowls. 7-time All Pro. All gratitude. All team. All blessing. All appreciation. I had the pleasure of working for UGA Football when Champ was in college. He was a quiet kid from a way-down-South Georgia community. He has always been this gracious and humble. Always. But you hear an old sage from Champ Bailey now. You hear 35 years-old. Champ's body began to break down this year. Age got to him. He is no longer one of the best, but he's helping his team win. Age has a way of humbling the greatest of athletes. Richard Sherman is 25. I suspect those ten years make a big difference. They certainly did in my life. I hope Sherman learns from this. I hope the years offer him wisdom. That wisdom, gratitude, and humility is the difference between being a Champ and a chump.
No comments:
Post a Comment