In/Fallible

In the year 2000 I was 11 years old. Like many kids around that age I was just beginning to evolve into an avid sports fan. The loyalties formed at that time are indelibly imprinted on me, probably impacting me more than I would have thought possible. I carry my family traditions in this regard with pride - my father went to the University of Tennessee so I grew up seeing the world through orange tinted glasses. I also grew up watching the San Antonio Spurs with my grandma and still cry with every championship, because I know she would have been so happy for her Spurs. In fact, I cared so much about these athletic endeavors that it became my way of life for many years...and almost became a career. 

But for 11-year-old-me it went beyond just team loyalties. That year is significant is because many figures who would appear on the "Mt. Rushmore of Athletes" for my generation had finally started their professional careers. Peyton Manning was the quarterback for my favorite college team, so I followed his teams incessantly. Tim Duncan is my favorite basketball player on my favorite professional sports team. Kobe Bryant was the greatest on-court antagonist to live during my generation so I have long engaged in debates about his legacy, and Tiger Woods was blossoming into not only my favorite athlete ever, but the most dominant athlete of my lifetime.

As a young man, it was so easy to look at these stars and be inspired by their athletic prowess. But it was also easy to turn them into symbols with meaning beyond their success on the field. To see not only how a tireless work ethic could turn you into a champion, but also how to build a model life with perfection on all fronts. When you revere something as much as I did these athletes, it's only natural to place too much importance on it. 

But in their own ways each of these men has done something to affect the way they are seen by the world. Whether its as silly and forgettable as Peyton Manning mooning someone in college or the more egregious errors of Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant. Now, almost 20 years later, (after countless celebrations, heartbreaks, and a few too many scandals) my Mt. Rushmore figures are retiring. It's honestly a bit funny to look back over the years and see how I associate the seasons of my life with what each of them were doing at the time (high school graduation=Spurs 4th championship!). They gave me many powerful, practical lessons: How to build a team and work in total sync with one another. The importance of pouring yourself into passions. Practice makes perfect. Be respectful....the list goes on. Now though, as I reckon with all their retirements, I'm most grateful for a lesson I never expected to learn from a bunch of athletes. I never expected them to teach me that the instant you expect people, famous or not, to be anything other than people you set yourself up for failure. 

Tiger taught me this lesson in the most explosive way possible. You all know the story, I'm sure, but go read this incredible profile on Tiger Woods written by Wright Thompson anyways. (Preferably after you finish this article please and thank you...). In 2009, when all of Tiger's infidelities and brokenness emerged I was hurt by someone I had never even met. I had decided that Tiger Woods should live up to some standard I set for him in my head, and he let me down.  Still though, I feel like I learned something during this odd season of scandal. Some people dropped Tiger Woods like a sack of bricks and haven't looked back at him since because they see him as something disgusting or broken. Instead, I learned to appreciate him for what he actually is. An incredible athlete who is very good at the game of golf and happens to be a fallible person. I learned to forgive Tiger for his faults and appreciate him for his immense strengths. 

People make mistakes. People screw things up. People don't respond to situations the way you think they should, and they don't behave behind closed doors just like you thought they would. In other words, no one is perfect. It's funny how simple that is to say, but in our reaction to celebrity scandal, how often do we simply ignore the fact that these are real people who screwed up real situations. Just like we do, every day. 

What if we truly applied this lesson in our every day lives as well? Instead of finding ourselves disappointed because a dear friend doesn't respond to a situation the way we thought they should or upset that Frank from Accounting messed up some important work, let's remember that we so often create unrealistic expectations in our minds. Let's remember that everyone around us deserves the opportunity to experience the ups and downs of life. And that its OK to still respect and appreciate someone's talents even if you think they have some growing to do as a person (I'm looking at you Kanye). I hope that if we keep that in mind as we go through life, we will find ourselves more accepting and loving towards everyone around us. If we ever forget, all we will have to do is look to the record books and remember the important lessons we learned watching some of the greatest icons of a generation.