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OPINION: Tom Brady finally retired; so should athlete worship
COLLEGIAN COLUMNISTS
Tom Brady finally retired; so should athlete worship
By JD Meltzner
@jd_meltzner Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.
Those of us who are familiar with the sporting world are also familiar with the immense impact of the recent retirement of Tom Brady from the NFL. Even those who are unfamiliar with the sporting world are likely familiar with the weight he carried in the sporting community.
You do not have to love sports to know Brady’s name, and this is because the culture surrounding athletes encourages hero worship on a level that goes beyond the world of sports to permeate the entire sphere of popular culture.
Brady is merely the latest on a long list of athletes who gained a near-fanatical fan base over the course of their careers. Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Ray Lewis — all of them were at the top of their game, living manifestations of athletic prowess and willpower, and yet they also have all been involved in controversy.
So why do these athletes, along with many other similar cases, still garner such levels of hero worship, despite there being clear discrepancies in these athletes’ moral character? The answer lies in the vicious heroworship culture prominent in modern society: a culture that forces athletes into the threshold of fame, lifting them above the common person as a new-age Ubermensch ideal, only to revel in their failure the second a mistake is made.
This is an unbelievably damaging culture for athletes themselves as well as the fans who contribute to the hero worship. In terms of athletes, the damage comes from the absurd public idea that the athletic prowess and perfection of these men and women translates to prowess and perfection in all other walks of life.
It is a habit of culture and society, especially of the American people, to become personally attached to athlete-heroes because of their amazing feats in their respective sports. We often believe these people owe us the service of them living a model lifestyle at all times.
When athlete-heroes slip up off the golden path we created for them, we scrutinize every aspect of their lives, but in reality, we need to realize these athletes are merely role models in their sport, and athletic greatness does not translate to moral impunity, nor did it ever.
To return to the case of Brady, his recent retirement was widely received as the loss of a legend by the sports world, with talking heads and analysts across all sports media networks lauding the man as an almost mythical figure. Yet others recall his history of malfeasance — in both the realms of sports and life — and consider whether his legacy is justified.
Through this constant consideration of athlete-heroes and this constant weighing of their right to be our heroes, one can see the extremely damaging nature of the athletic hero-worship culture on the very fans who foster it.
Psychologically, the obsessive tendencies that come along with toxic levels of hero worship can be very damaging to the psyche of fans. The unhealthy nature of such intense parasocial relationships can cause sports super fans — obsessive fans — to suffer from “anxiety, depression, poor mental health, and ... social dysfunction,” according to Psychology Today. This is even more prominent in adolescents, and one can easily see how hero worship at a time in life when so much self-discovery is already at hand could lead to fractured identities in young adults.
In light of Brady — perhaps the best living example of athletic hero-worship culture — retiring, I believe that we as a society should take this opportunity to reassess our obsessions with athletes and consider how this obsessive societal culture is both damaging to the athletes we worship and to us, the fans. Brady said goodbye to the sports world, and it’s time for hero worship to do the same.
Reach JD Meltzner at letters@ collegian.com.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady jogs on the field in a game against the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, Nov. 14, 2021. PHOTO VIA JOE GLORIOSO ALL-PRO REELS
COVER STORY
Isaiah Stevens leads the way to Rams basketball history
ISAIAH STEVENS
CSU MEN’S BASKETBALL GUARD
By Braidon Nourse
@braidonnourse
The Colorado State University men’s basketball team is continuing to make school history. At 20-3 overall this season, the Rams have beaten their all-time best record through their first 23 games. In the driver’s seat of the team’s success is guard Isaiah Stevens, who leads the team in assists per game, steals per game, minutes per game and free-throw percentage this season.
Despite the success the team has seen so far, Stevens is just getting started.
The Allen, Texas, local started his basketball career young. At an early age, he was introduced to basketball by his family, whom he said have all played at some point in their lives. His introduction to higher-level basketball came thanks to his older brother, Barrington Stevens, who was a point guard for the University of South Alabama, a Division I program, from 2012-16.
“I was traveling the country as a 7- (or) 8-year-old, not really realizing what’s going on, but next thing you know, you’re walking into these big gyms with all these teams and college coaches lined up all around the court watching,” Isaiah Stevens said. “Eventually, over time it just kind of seeped in, like, ‘Man, I want to do something like this too.’”
The elder Stevens brother is now a professional basketball skills trainer whom Isaiah Stevens said he goes home to train with when he is not with his CSU team. When it comes to his success and playing at the level he is, Stevens said his older brother “is definitely someone who has helped a lot.”
“I wanted to be just like him growing up,” Isaiah Stevens said. “Just watching him chase his dreams, he was definitely someone that took me under his wing. … When I really started to get into basketball, he started training me.”
Now, as a junior at CSU, Stevens has risen to hoops stardom in the college basketball world. He was recently named to the watchlist for the Bob Cousy Award, which is awarded annually to the best collegiate point guard in the nation for that year. He is one of 10 on the watchlist, which will eventually be narrowed down to one winner toward the end of the season.
“I just feel like (the Bob Cousy Award) is a huge nod to the work that I’ve put in (and) my teammates around me,” Stevens said. “It’s definitely a big-time blessing.”
Before the season starts, a watchlist is posted for most individual awards, like the Bob Cousy Award. Stevens did not appear on the Cousy award list in October. In order to motivate himself to get up and get better every day, he said he set a screenshot of the watchlist as his phone’s lock screen — a constant reminder of the doubt he faced before the season.
“I just continued to work,” Stevens said. “Everybody helped with the process. It’s definitely more of a team award. I know my name gets put on it, but I wouldn’t be able to be on that list without the rest of the Rams.”
As far as goals for this season with the team go, Stevens is keeping it simple: He’s in it to win it. A short list of milestones he has in the back of his mind include “March Madness, conference tournament, conference championship and regular-season championship,” Stevens said.
But it wasn’t always this way, according to Stevens. During his freshman year, the Rams were fresh off a 12-20 season and were looking for new life. Because of their lackluster previous season, Stevens said they hoped to be able to “catch some teams sleeping.” Then, just last year, Stevens and the Rams narrowly missed a chance to compete for a national championship in the NCAA tournament.
Now the Rams often have a target on their backs, boasting one of the best records in the country. For Stevens, one of the biggest improvements in his game that has and will continue to help the Rams do well this season is consistency.
“Just continuing to be more consistent everywhere, whether it’s shooting, passing, defense, T communicating,” Stevens said. “I think just finding consistency in everything that I’m doing on a day-to-day basis will definitely be big.”
Developing consistency on all of these fronts is also helpful in being the best leader Stevens can be. As a guard for one of the top basketball programs in the country this year, he has naturally found himself in a role of leadership, where he has flourished since he arrived in Fort Collins.
“It’s something that me and coach (Niko) Medved have talked about since my freshman year, coming in and being a leader,” Stevens said. “I definitely take pride in helping lead this team.”
Many responsibilities come with being a leader, especially at a top basketball program. One of the top priorities for Stevens and Medved, however, is communication on the court.
“Being able to have an open way of communication, not only with coach Medved but with the players too — … we all respect one another,” Stevens said. “Anything we may say, … it’s not anything taken personal; we’re just trying to help each other get better.”
What a joy it has been for Ram fans to watch a player like Stevens mature with a skilled team around him over the course of three seasons. As he gets closer to reaching his goals of winning titles this year, all that Ram fans can do is watch in awe as history continues to be made.
Reach Braidon Nourse at sports@ collegian.com.
THE COLLEGIAN PHOTO BY LUCY MORANTZ
& T O P PHOTO BY LUCY MORANTZ THE COLLEGIAN
