On A Beach
Just a quick post before I head down the road to sunny Wilmington, NC. MC Bennish Brown invited me to make the trip with him to go see some college buddies I haven't laid eyes on in over seven years.
Road trip + beach + old friends + beer = lots of pictures for Monday's post.
The "big" news that is flooding the airwaves today is the death of Pat Tillman, an Army Ranger serving in Afghanistan. This is news because Tillman used to play in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals, but enlisted in the Army in the wake of 9/11. This, in turn, is news because he left over $3.6 million on the table in order to serve his country.
It should definitely be noted that with servicemen seemingly dying every day, Tillman deserves no more ink than any of the others. I just wanted to bring your attention to it because it's an issue that has been floating around all week and it really puts in perspective how hollow professional athletes sound when they whine to the common man about being underpaid and under-appreciated by their team/fans/coach, etc.
*Brace for uncomfortable transistion*
Sunburn here I come.
tillman's death is tragic, it goes without saying, but yeah, he'll be getting way more press than all other casualties combined.
the real story was when he joined the army instead of staying in / going to the NFL. too bad it ended this way.
this burns me up, too. i'm glad i'm not alone.
meantime, happy trails.
The reason Tillman got more press is because, obviously, his was a name that many people recognized. Sure, it's not like the entire country knew him personally. The entire world didn't know Princess Diana, but people are still talking about her death. (And can they please stop? It's old news.)
It's easy for this war to be nameless and faceless. It's nearly halfway around the world. I personally don't know a single person serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Tillman put a face on war deaths, and for those people who want to humanize the events in Iraq, I think the coverage surrounding his death should be viewed as a good thing. The alternative is reading a few lines in the paper or hearing on TV that ten more soldiers died. No names and no faces. I didn't know them or their family. Go to commercial.
Some athletes *are* underpaid.
Guy passes up NFL millions to serve his country, dies.
These are completely unrelated, sportswriters need to stop associating his sacrifice with whiny athletes.
Your message seems to be "don't say anything if think you're being jerked around, look at what this guy gave up" What about the right to free expression that he fought for?
MrB