Another Viewpoint Archives
Debbi Willis, Daw613@bigfoot.com
Heroes and Idols
According to the Webster New Universal Dictionary, the definitions for HERO and IDOL have very distinct meanings, and are not synonymous.
HERO: any man admired for his courage, nobility, or exploits; any person admired for his qualities or achievements and regarded as an ideal or model; the central figure in any important event or period, honored for outstanding qualities. Relating this definition to drivers immediately brings to mind Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, and many others, who have risen from the struggles of adversity to succeed.
IDOL: any object of ardent or excessive devotion or admiration; an image, effigy; anything that has no substance but can be seen, as a shadow, or an image in a mirror; in logic, a fallacy. Of course, this reminds me of Jeff Gordon. Before the Gordon fans get up in arms and bombard me with emails here, remember that I refer to the image, not the person of Jeff Gordon. I still firmly believe that we will see a different Jeff Gordon in years to come after some serious "seasoning" in his career.
With the new season for 1999 looming on the horizon, I wonder who will emerge as thsi years "hero" of the year, the driver every fan can relate to and cheer for out of sheer respect! Obviously last year it was Mark Martin! Every sport has it's heroes: folks that anybody, especially young people, may look up to and emulate, that parents need not fear if they do! Basketball has the recently retired Michael Jordan. Baseball has homerun record holder Mark McGuire and challenger Sammy Soza. Football has a multitude of great quarterbacks like Dan Marino, John Elway, Brett Favre and many other players too numerous to point out! Nascar isn't any different, the sport has it's heroes too!
Heroes are excellence. They are willing to make personal sacrifices that push themselves beyond their limits, and focus on their goals. Elevated above the rest of the world of athletes, they are media fodder, subject to fan obsession and generally scrutinized in all areas of their life as well as emulated to the nth degree! Heroes need to be quality people and class acts. For example, Dennis Rodman is not a hero even though he is a good athlete, he is not the kind of person we want our son's emulating! A great responsibility comes with being a hero. A greater responsibility falls to those who are heroes FIRST!
Everyone who follow the hero to challenge the records, has to walk in the shadow of the one who did it FIRST. Once they break those records, then they join the ranks of the first heroes and assume the same responsibility. With all privilege follows the responsibility to maintain it. Just as freedom in this country is a privilege, so follows the responsibility to maintain it. In the same way, once a driver reaches the hero status, he should be aware of the example he sets and his personality traits and how they reflect him and his team. Eavesdropping scanner conversations can surely alter a fans opinion, if not prepared for the heat of emotions expressed during races. The networks have made that mistake on the air already!
In Nascar, many of the drivers are our heroes just because we favor the way they drive, the fact that they win alot, who sponsors them or we have met them. some we idolize based on good looks, or just winning all the time. Very few will reach the "first hero" status, most are always following someone who did it first! Richard Petty hasn't been racing in many years now, yet he will always be the King of Stock Car Racing. No one else will meet [nor can they with todays schedules], the number of races he has won and holds the record for. A driver would have to have the kind of record tying season Jeff Gordon had for 1998 for over 15years to break the King's record. This is not a probability, and no matter how much faith the devoted Gordon fans have in him, it's highly unlikely to happen. Regardless of any future superstar successes, Richard Petty will be King moreso because he did it FIRST. He helped elevate the sport to the popularity it enjoys today, and his records will stand for years to come.
Of course, and this is no secret, if Dale Earnhardt meets his goal, King Richard's record of 7 championships will fall to him when he wins his 8th! He was the FIRST and is still the only driver to match the Kings championships with no one else even close. Dale is no slouch when it comes to breaking records either. He literally broke into Nascar breaking a record immediately by winning R.O.T.Y. and then the championship in back to backyears, '79 and '80. Dale Earnhardt has proven the standard can be raised by becoming a 7 time champion alongside Richard Petty. He's set a n example to all young people that nothing is impossible with determination and your sights set on your goals. With adversity ever near him, Earnhardt has overcome the obstacles to make them his own personal stepping stones to a reputation no one can forget and most recall vividly! He hasn't always been the nmost popular driver, but he's surely one of the most respected , even by his "enemies".
1998's most serious challenger to the championship, Mark Martin, has the most impressive record in Nascar for consistency. Proving that you don't have to win championships to be a hero, Martin proudly of his own! Since 1989, no other driver matches his consistent finishes in the top six in points standings. Martin IS the winingest driver in the BGN and he doesn't even run full time! In IROC, he dominates the championships with 4 crowns in 5 years and in the 90's he has passed up Dale Earnhardt now for the most points won in a career to date. Besides the records, Martin has had his fair share of trials and tribulations, too and proved how much of a class act he is when he suffered the tragic loss of the family! The high quality of his career and the professional style of his personality, easily makes him a hero for today's youth!
There are innumerable other drivers who fall into the hero category with their acheivements and humble beginnings struggling their way up through the ranks of NASCAR. All display the hard driving competitive detrmination needed to be a contender, the respect for the sport and each other needed to belong on the track and the devotion to their fans needed to fill the stands and pay the purses they race for.
Reflecting on Gordon-mania, the PR glitz he has brought to Nascar, and the extreme adoration of his fans beyond all logic or reason causes me to think he may have acheived idol status but it will be some time before he rates the hero status. Rock stars and movie stars are idols, images projected on stage for their adoring fans. Jeff Gordon is "worshipped" the same way, for his looks, his beautiful wife, Brooke, and his constant winning no matter what. Perhaps one day after the years have delivered some struggles and not so much success, Jeff Gordon will emerge a hero wiht the qualities that come from being seasoned that way!
In all areas of life, the best have come not from being handed their dreams to achieve, but from making it through bleak hours of nowhere to turn and no resources, thus earning thier way to their goals! Heroes rise from struggles that force them to muster up the courage to continue on despite the odds or the pain. Idols are placed on pedastals and worshipped for the immediate success they enjoy. And, pedastals can be toppled.
Another Viewpoint Home
Heroes and Idols
According to the Webster New Universal Dictionary, the definitions for HERO and IDOL have very distinct meanings, and are not synonymous.
HERO: any man admired for his courage, nobility, or exploits; any person admired for his qualities or achievements and regarded as an ideal or model; the central figure in any important event or period, honored for outstanding qualities. Relating this definition to drivers immediately brings to mind Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, and many others, who have risen from the struggles of adversity to succeed.
IDOL: any object of ardent or excessive devotion or admiration; an image, effigy; anything that has no substance but can be seen, as a shadow, or an image in a mirror; in logic, a fallacy. Of course, this reminds me of Jeff Gordon. Before the Gordon fans get up in arms and bombard me with emails here, remember that I refer to the image, not the person of Jeff Gordon. I still firmly believe that we will see a different Jeff Gordon in years to come after some serious "seasoning" in his career.
With the new season for 1999 looming on the horizon, I wonder who will emerge as thsi years "hero" of the year, the driver every fan can relate to and cheer for out of sheer respect! Obviously last year it was Mark Martin! Every sport has it's heroes: folks that anybody, especially young people, may look up to and emulate, that parents need not fear if they do! Basketball has the recently retired Michael Jordan. Baseball has homerun record holder Mark McGuire and challenger Sammy Soza. Football has a multitude of great quarterbacks like Dan Marino, John Elway, Brett Favre and many other players too numerous to point out! Nascar isn't any different, the sport has it's heroes too!
Heroes are excellence. They are willing to make personal sacrifices that push themselves beyond their limits, and focus on their goals. Elevated above the rest of the world of athletes, they are media fodder, subject to fan obsession and generally scrutinized in all areas of their life as well as emulated to the nth degree! Heroes need to be quality people and class acts. For example, Dennis Rodman is not a hero even though he is a good athlete, he is not the kind of person we want our son's emulating! A great responsibility comes with being a hero. A greater responsibility falls to those who are heroes FIRST!
Everyone who follow the hero to challenge the records, has to walk in the shadow of the one who did it FIRST. Once they break those records, then they join the ranks of the first heroes and assume the same responsibility. With all privilege follows the responsibility to maintain it. Just as freedom in this country is a privilege, so follows the responsibility to maintain it. In the same way, once a driver reaches the hero status, he should be aware of the example he sets and his personality traits and how they reflect him and his team. Eavesdropping scanner conversations can surely alter a fans opinion, if not prepared for the heat of emotions expressed during races. The networks have made that mistake on the air already!
In Nascar, many of the drivers are our heroes just because we favor the way they drive, the fact that they win alot, who sponsors them or we have met them. some we idolize based on good looks, or just winning all the time. Very few will reach the "first hero" status, most are always following someone who did it first! Richard Petty hasn't been racing in many years now, yet he will always be the King of Stock Car Racing. No one else will meet [nor can they with todays schedules], the number of races he has won and holds the record for. A driver would have to have the kind of record tying season Jeff Gordon had for 1998 for over 15years to break the King's record. This is not a probability, and no matter how much faith the devoted Gordon fans have in him, it's highly unlikely to happen. Regardless of any future superstar successes, Richard Petty will be King moreso because he did it FIRST. He helped elevate the sport to the popularity it enjoys today, and his records will stand for years to come.
Of course, and this is no secret, if Dale Earnhardt meets his goal, King Richard's record of 7 championships will fall to him when he wins his 8th! He was the FIRST and is still the only driver to match the Kings championships with no one else even close. Dale is no slouch when it comes to breaking records either. He literally broke into Nascar breaking a record immediately by winning R.O.T.Y. and then the championship in back to backyears, '79 and '80. Dale Earnhardt has proven the standard can be raised by becoming a 7 time champion alongside Richard Petty. He's set a n example to all young people that nothing is impossible with determination and your sights set on your goals. With adversity ever near him, Earnhardt has overcome the obstacles to make them his own personal stepping stones to a reputation no one can forget and most recall vividly! He hasn't always been the nmost popular driver, but he's surely one of the most respected , even by his "enemies".
1998's most serious challenger to the championship, Mark Martin, has the most impressive record in Nascar for consistency. Proving that you don't have to win championships to be a hero, Martin proudly of his own! Since 1989, no other driver matches his consistent finishes in the top six in points standings. Martin IS the winingest driver in the BGN and he doesn't even run full time! In IROC, he dominates the championships with 4 crowns in 5 years and in the 90's he has passed up Dale Earnhardt now for the most points won in a career to date. Besides the records, Martin has had his fair share of trials and tribulations, too and proved how much of a class act he is when he suffered the tragic loss of the family! The high quality of his career and the professional style of his personality, easily makes him a hero for today's youth!
There are innumerable other drivers who fall into the hero category with their acheivements and humble beginnings struggling their way up through the ranks of NASCAR. All display the hard driving competitive detrmination needed to be a contender, the respect for the sport and each other needed to belong on the track and the devotion to their fans needed to fill the stands and pay the purses they race for.
Reflecting on Gordon-mania, the PR glitz he has brought to Nascar, and the extreme adoration of his fans beyond all logic or reason causes me to think he may have acheived idol status but it will be some time before he rates the hero status. Rock stars and movie stars are idols, images projected on stage for their adoring fans. Jeff Gordon is "worshipped" the same way, for his looks, his beautiful wife, Brooke, and his constant winning no matter what. Perhaps one day after the years have delivered some struggles and not so much success, Jeff Gordon will emerge a hero wiht the qualities that come from being seasoned that way!
In all areas of life, the best have come not from being handed their dreams to achieve, but from making it through bleak hours of nowhere to turn and no resources, thus earning thier way to their goals! Heroes rise from struggles that force them to muster up the courage to continue on despite the odds or the pain. Idols are placed on pedastals and worshipped for the immediate success they enjoy. And, pedastals can be toppled.
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