Commentary: Forget unselfishness, let athletic glory shine

  Here's a riddle for you jokers who can't pay attention on the last day of classes:

  What do coaches preach, Boy Scouts promote, and sportswriters eat up like pre-game buffets?

  You got it: unselfishness.

  There's a growing obsession in sports these days with unselfishness, and it's veering out control. Sportswriters fall all over themselves writing stories about players' unselfishness.

  True story: first time I ever wrote a feature article for The Chronicle, I found myself expounding on the subject's unselfishness--until I realized I had no idea why I was doing it, other than the fact that damn near every sports article I'd ever read had done so.

  There are two problems with the unselfishness craze: one, it's usually flat-out inaccurate; and two, since when did unselfishness become more important than greatness, achievement and glory--the very essence of sports?

  Exhibit A: Chris Duhon leads Duke to the Final Four by playing a brilliant point guard, playing through pain, and generally being the leader-extraordinaire a young Duke team so desperately needs.

  Warehouses were depleted from all the ink that was given to talk of Duhon's exemplary "unselfishness."

  Pardon me for raining on the sportswriters' parade, but wasn't Duhon just doing his best to get his beloved Blue Devils another National Championship? Don't you think his NBA draft prospects were boosted by demonstrating that he could be the pass-first floor general pro teams drool over? Would Duhon really have been better off scoring four more points per game?

  Where's the unselfishness?

  Even worse than the common false categorization of unselfishness is the implicit assumption that we should all worship at the altar of unselfishness, that it's not even a matter of debate. Tacit is the accepted notion that being selfish is the worst thing anyone can be.

  Look, I realize that sportswriters deal with irresponsible, callous, thoughtless, hedonistic athletes day-in and day-out, and that the kind and considerate athlete is a breath of fresh air. But, selfishness is not the culprit here. It's important to distinguish between selfishness and unkindness; if someone's a jerk, call him a jerk, while if he's a class act, call him a class act.

  But there's more to it than that. There's a genuine hatred of great athletes who refuse to swallow the humble pie demanded of them. Barry Bonds, for instance, may be the most hated man in America. Why? Because he's probably the best player in history, he knows it, and he's not afraid to say it. How un-humble of him! Likewise, even more close to home, Duke men's basketball is despised nationwide, for the crimes of sustained, unapologetic excellence and genuine class.

  Seriously, have you read the pathetic attempts writers have made to articulate their loathing of Duke basketball? They were everywhere during March Madness. Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal sums up the anti-Duke argument pretty well:

  "Pulling for Duke must've been what it was like to root for Rockefeller and Getty," Hunt opines. "In fact, the NCAA ought to slap a few free-trade restrictions on the Blue Devils for the benefit of the 98% of the country.... As an institution, Duke is too preppy, too smug and too darn smart for its own good."

  There's the ugly monster laid bare: Duke, like so many other athletes or sports teams, is hated for its greatness and its pride, and attacked by those envious of its success.

  What's so bad about greatness? What's so evil about pride? Many Duke students go on to careers as doctors, lawyers, bankers, and businessmen; should they have to insist that they aren't the best, and that they aren't really responsible for their own success?

  When it comes down to it, all star athletes are pretty darn selfish, and that's a reason for admiration rather than scorn. It takes an awful lot of talent and dedication to become a star athlete, just as it takes years of hard work to become a great lawyer, doctor, banker, or businessman. Should we idolize mediocrity?

  Let's admire athletes--not to mention lawyers, doctors, and businessmen--for their selfishness. Let's admire Muhammed Ali--he who famously declared, "I am the greatest!"--Michael Jordan, Wayne "The Great One" Gretzky, Tiger Woods and Bonds for being the best, and knowing it. They earned it, they are what make sports such a source of joy and entertainment, and they deserve every ounce of our respect and admiration. I can only hope to be as great at any one thing as they are at their respective sports.

  So next time you read some sportswriter rambling about a player's unselfishness, ask yourself if it really is unselfishness, and ask yourself if it's a trait you care to admire in the first place.