Gladiators We Are Not

In this country it is common for sports fans to project how they would react given a certain set of circumstances. Sports fans are quick to point out what they would do if they were the athlete without realizing they are not the ones with the super human powers. Sports fans don't throw 97 MPH fastballs, bench press 400 pounds, jump 40 inches off the ground, or throw footballs 70 yards. Athletes are not regular people and their mindset is not the same. To hold them to the same set of standards as the rest of society is ridiculous. More often than not they will disappoint you because a fan's level of expectation is unrealistic. By their very nature athletes are tightly wound and understand that their worth is singularly tied to their performance. They realize fans don't love them for them, but rather their physical skill. It should not be surprising when the results are less than anticipated. Sports fans rarely look at the athletes for who they are. Some of them are lazy, some of them are mean, some of them are egomaniacs, and most of them aren't choir boys. Consider yourself fortunate if you end up with Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, or Derek Jeter. In the end sports fans idolize the modern day gladiator and that is where it should end. We get into trouble when we compare ourselves to them. Sport fans are not athletes. Stay in your lane.