Pros Can’t Escape the Glare

A high school football player danced shamelessly after a play last fall. As he came off the field, an assistant coach said to him, “At least make the tackle if you’re going to do that.”

The blame for such behavior is most often attached to professional athletes. When they play the fool on TV, it trickles down. Coaches and parents have grumbled about it a lot in recent years. Then comes a guy whose principles dictate his actions and public condemnation follows.

You might cringe at the idea of Denver Nugget guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf being a role model. But when you think about it . . .

Abdul-Rauf stood on his interpretation of the Koran and refused to stand for the national anthem. He made a compromise last week, agreeing to stand, and pray.

A high school basketball player dunked in January, then paused to flex both arms to the crowd as he ran up court.

Other pro athletes might hold strong beliefs. But that is not the image they choose to portray. Too many strut with arrogance, and that becomes their public personas.

Maybe Reggie Miller has deep-felt beliefs. But do they come to mind when his name is mentioned? Or do you remember his taunting? And what’s the message to kids?

Charles Barkley has said he’s not a role model, but the choice isn’t his. Actions are magnified and copied, for good or bad.

Before, no one paid much attention to Abdul-Rauf. Now that he’s in the public spotlight, are his actions so awful?

A high school girls’ basketball player scored, then threw an elbow into the back of an opponent and taunted her all the way up court in a Southern California Regional final game last week.

So Abdul-Rauf wouldn’t stand for the “Star-Spangled Banner,” that 200-year-old poem set to an English drinking tune. Most of the season, he waited in the locker room until the anthem was finished. That was integrity, with respect. Then, people on talk radio began asking what he was doing.

Put on the spot, he reacted by showing a little disrespect. His reward was national rancor.

But was his action--taking a stand for a personal belief--a bad one for a youth to adopt?

Last season, a high school basketball player drove, dunked and was fouled. He ran directly to his team’s rooting section to slap hands with fans.

So, backed into a corner by the media, Abdul-Rauf used the words “oppression” and “tyranny.” But he isn’t the first athlete to use his position--knowingly or otherwise--to bring issues to light.

Bill Walton, who protested the Vietnam war while attending UCLA, had an answering machine that not only asked you to leave a message, but requested that President Nixon be impeached.

Muhammad Ali declined his draft notice because of religious beliefs. His public stand included the comment, “I ain’t got no quarrel with the Viet Cong.”

Duane Thomas pointed out the hypocrisy of the NFL. He even referred to Dallas Cowboy Coach Tom Landry as a “plastic man.”

John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised gloved fists at the 1968 Olympics. Magic Johnson questioned President Bush’s commitment to AIDS research. Sandy Koufax was raised to believe Yom Kippur is holy, even if it means missing Game 1 of the World Series.

All controversial actions, to be sure.

Maybe you don’t agree with Abdul-Rauf. You don’t see oppression. You don’t see tyranny.

But Abdul-Rauf made a stand for a belief. Isn’t that a better profile?