stars and heroes
Why do we pay professional athletes so well?
My theory is that we do it because we value the idea of ”playing.” When I think about my favorite players, I imagine that they are doing something that they love very much and that they do well. I imagine they love doing this so much that they will do it through thick and thin, with 100% of their being, ignoring the pain of injuries (which would leave most of us groaning like a ball) and the problems of life and at the same time. max.”play”. We pay them well and expect them to play throughout their season, regardless of holidays or significant moments in their lives (unless it’s as important as the birth of a child or the death of an immediate family member) and even if they take a big hit and are badly injured, as soon as you can, we hope to see you on the sidelines cheering on your team. We hope they will put their lives on hold during the Season and we hope they will “play” for us, for their teams.
They are at the peak of their physical lives. They can jump like the tiger, they have the strength of the bull, they have courage and determination, and they give us everything. They are like warriors. In fact, we even see them as “our” warriors, representing us and hoping they win the big games. We will wear t-shirts and hats in his honor. We have little signs around the license plate of our car to proclaim who we support. Those who know us well know that it is best not to call during The Game, unless it is to discuss the game or a life or death emergency. We invest our spirit in the game, the players and the team. For all this, we in return, pay them very well, we pay them annual amounts that most of us can only fantasize about seeing even in a lifetime. And I think this is also part of the game. We treat them like gods, we give them the best of everything.
On some level, I think we are telling ourselves that it is possible to do what you love to do the most, to do what you have such a passion (and talent for), that you will be recognized and well paid, indeed adored. That’s why you can take the ball and run as fast and as far as you can.
We do something similar with actors, only their requirements are quite different. You must have the ability to “look” and “act” in an entertaining and totally convincing way. They too must give everything and we pay them well for it, we idolize them.
We call these people Stars and we can’t help but want to know every little detail about their lives, even if we pretend not to. If Lindsay Lohan fell off the face of the earth, completely out of the public eye for five years, and then reappeared, wouldn’t you be a little curious as to what happened to her? Had she recovered herself? Do you really not pay attention when your favorite athlete is on the news for some personal matter? I think it’s a safe bet that most of us make.
When it’s real and not “Play”
There are other groups that we ask for so much, and more, but we don’t call them Stars, we can call them Heroes. We expect much, much more from our Heroes than from our Stars. We expect our Heroes to risk their lives. We expect them to make life and death decisions, not only for themselves and their team, but sometimes also decide the fate of others. We ask you to do this, willingly, and we demand that you pledge your lives for the success of your mission. We hope you will also commit to serving us at the peak of your life, we demand that you be physically fit and able to handle any battle, we demand that you protect and serve the needs of our community above all else (including your family and friends). We want more than just a “season” of our heroes, they need to be available 24/7 and in case of an emergency, they won’t have time off for the birth of a child or the death of a loved one, and your “season” can last a lifetime.
Interestingly, we rarely seek to know anything about their lives. In fact, it is hard for us to look at their lives and the sacrifices we have asked them to make for us. Rather than being stars and receiving the star treatment, we prefer our heroes to be modest and humble; we certainly don’t pay them well, barely enough to get by. We tend to lump these heroes into groups: active duty military, veterans, police officers, first responders, public servants; we do not see them as individuals, unless some action of theirs is picked up by the media or comes to our personal attention. If, of course, that Hero is you or your son or daughter, your husband, your friend, your loved one, then you know firsthand the cost of being a hero. Even as a loved one, it’s hard to imagine the cost of being a hero. Even loved ones can take what our heroes do for granted and are willing to risk it until it slaps us in the face (like when a hero gets hurt or God forbid dies in the line of duty).
Can you help
You can help from the comfort of your home. Much of the work that needs to be done for these groups can be done virtually (ie via your computer to theirs).
• Speak up when you see/hear about veteran-related issues that outrage you. Use the power of your voice on their behalf!
• Are you on Facebook (or other social networks)? You can end your support with a simple click of a button. For example, on Facebook “Like” pages that support veteran services. When you see a topic that you think is important, “share” it with your friends. While it may not sound like much, it can have a tremendous impact.
• Write letters in support of your care and treatment during and after your time in service to your local representatives.
• You can write? Are you familiar with Excel and Access or some other database program? Many groups need contact databases.
• Are you a web designer? Many of these groups are in desperate need of websites and a professional virtual presence.
• Can you create a newsletter? There are many great programs available to help create both electronic and print newsletters.
• Do you like to use social networks, such as Facebook? You could manage their social media needs.
• Can you answer the phones? Even an hour or two a week would go a long way!
• Can you volunteer at local events? Give a couple of hours of your time to support an event and make it special.
With baby boomers about to retire and so many people unemployed, there is a lot of untapped talent that could really make a difference for our veterans.
I challenge you to take it upon yourself to take a hard look at what we are asking of our active duty service members and veterans. Then do something to support them: write a letter, send a care package, be aware of their challenges, do what you can.
Thank you!
by Laura Bumpus
