It’s been 23 years since Charles Barkley, in a landmark commercial for Nike, proclaimed, “I am not a role model”. In an era of Michael Jordan worship and baseball-card collecting, Barkley, at the time probably the second most recognisable American athlete after Jordan, went against the grain. He took Nike’s money, like anyone would, but he was going to spit some truth while doing it.
Barkley wasn’t a role model, and he was the rare world-class athlete who owned that. He played the game of basketball better than most in the world were able to, and was paid handsomely for it. Why should he be worthy of any higher meaning?
His point was one that should have been self-evident, but one that still needed someone of his stature to reiterate: Professional athletes are not heroes. They are grown-ups playing kids’ games for entertainment, and we live in a society that pays for that entertainment. Any significance we attach to the men or women playing those games is on us, not them.
The commercial is on my mind today because Peyton Manning — at times the NFL’s closest thing to Jordan, and who is no stranger to commercials himself — announced on Monday he was retiring. He did so on the heels of his second Super Bowl title, which is the exact type of narrative that drives sports writers to fever dreams.
Also see: Peyton Manning or Kobe Bryant — Who is stepping into retirement on a higher stage?
But instead of leaving at the proverbial top, Manning leaves at a time when his reputation has never been more in question. Instead of The Sheriff riding off on a white bronco into the sunset, his shiny new Super Bowl badge is a bit tarnished.
Past allegations of sexual harassment from Manning’s college career at the University of Tennessee are back in the news, seemingly from the dead. The case was settled long ago out of court, but he has never really owned up to it, choosing instead to make lame excuses and tastelessly call into question the character of the victim. Differing accounts are still coming out, with nary a word from Manning himself.
Plus, he is still dealing with the fallout from steroid allegations from an Al Jazeera investigation a few months ago. All this for a guy considered squeaky-clean enough to sell us pizza and satellite subscriptions.
Why these transgressions are all-of-a-sudden in the headlines is no secret. Sometimes, we like to take those on the highest pedestals down a notch or two. It’s not right, really. It’s just how it is.
Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant, Maria Sharapova or any of the innumerable non-role-model athletes out there — it’s nice to be reminded that nobody is perfect.
But Manning should be held accountable for his biggest mistakes, regardless of how long ago, or regardless of how much we might otherwise like the guy. He deserves this both because he never properly owned up to them, and because someone of his stature is in the type of position to make a difference for a future Manning, or especially that future Manning’s future fans.
Instead, he has chosen the path of least resistance, some excuse-making, a lot of denial, but mostly silence, hoping people forget the bad stuff because of how good a player he was.
And if he isn’t a role model? That’s OK too. Just say so. Maybe Manning’s next commercial should be a remake of Barkley’s Nike ad.
kjeffers@thenational.ae
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