Come On ESPN, Show Us The Real Heroes

Today came news that Myron Rolle, a safety on the Florida State football team and Rhodes scholarship winner, will forego the NFL for a year to study medical anthropology. This is a headline story that gets about 6 paragraphs in the newspaper. I could not help but contrast this to the coverage that Adam Jones, released by the Dallas Cowboys last week, received. ESPN covered the story ad nausem, even featuring program devoted to some dramatic charges against Mr. Jones.

The disappointing aspect of this to me was ESPN bombarding the airwaves with the Adam Jones story. The message that was delivered was simple: If you want to get on TV, engage in questionable behavior. My young sons, and kids everywhere, are receiving the message that doing the right thing will not get you noticed, but revealing bad character will make you a national celebrity. This is not confined to athletics, but is true in all walks of life. We get bombarded by aberrant behavior from Hollywood actors and actresses all the time. Even CNBC is in on the act covering the Bernie Madoff story at the expense of all else.

In my opinion, ESPN needs to devote more time to covering Myron Rolle and less time covering Adam Jones. Rolle, generally projected to be a second round NFL draft pick this spring, earned his undergraduate degree in pre-med in two and a half years, then earned a Rhodes scholarship. He becomes the highest profile athlete since former Senator Bill Bradley in 1965 to win a Rhodes scholarship. Mr. Rolle still hopes to play in the NFL after completing his studies at Oxford, then after playing days he wants to open a clinic for the needy in the Bahamas. Mr. Rolle's story offers up to young people everywhere the importance of education. Mr. Rolle was able to parlay his outstanding athletic ability into something more meaningful. Kids everywhere need to be shown that excellence in education, not just athletics, is the path to opportunity.

No child ever grows up dreaming of being a junkie. No child grows up dreaming that one day he may murder someone with whom he/she argues. Or sexually abusing a young child. But these things happen, largely because so many of these children grow up in a situation where they have no hope. Inner city kids do not see that education is the path to an opportunity to lead a better life. They see drugs as the path to escape, they seek shelter in the protection gangs offer, they see law enforcement as the enemy and they see the Adam Jones's of the world as heroes. Why would Adam Jones be a hero to these kids? Because ESPN bombards them with his image. However, Mr. Rolle is the hero. Come on ESPN, show the kids a better way.