The Giant Loss
By choosing to honor Ray Lewis, the NFL proved that Disney World has a better sense of what makes a hero

by Joe Newman

It’s been a few days since the Super Bowl, and I’m still confused. I mean, I was there. I ate the traditional chili, pigs-in-a-blanket and nachos. I had three different kinds of beer. I writhed in anguish each time the Giants failed to convert third and short. But honestly, I feel like it never happened. Like I was time out of mind for a while.

Maybe it’s because I feel I never had closure. There comes a definitive moment at the end of every Super Bowl when exuberant and downcast fans alike know when to shut off the TV, or at least change the channel. It comes with the utterance of an oft-repeated phrase, the Amen, the So Be It, the Last Hurrah of the football season. It’s when the gridiron hero of the moment proclaims he is leaving us mortals for more sacred ground, when he exclaims from atop the shoulders of metaphorical giants, "I’m going to Disney World!" Then we know a time has passed. We must wait for Favre, or Elway, or Warner to descend from the tower of Cinderella’s castle to do battle again. It’s a rhythm not easily broken.

So you can see why this whole Ray Lewis thing throws me. It’s just not logical. If Ray Lewis is the Super Bowl MVP (which he is) and if the Super Bowl MVP almost always goes to Disney World, then Ray Lewis should be going to Disney World.

But he most definitely is not. You don’t get involved with a double murder and still get to shake hands with the Mouse. Which is a bit confusing, because there are many other interesting things you can do, despite this criminal association. For instance, you get to play professional football. You get to be called the "heart and soul" of the Ravens’ defense. You get to be the regular season MVP. You get to do a funny little dance during your Super Bowl introduction. You even get to be the championship game MVP. But a meeting with Mickey is out of the question. 

I can see the headlines now: DISNEY TRUMPS NFL FOR CONVENTIONAL WISDOM PRIZE. And the Mouse is not known for sensitivity. I refer you to the case of Max Fleischer.

Not that all this hesitation to embrace players like Lewis is surprising; bashing the NFL and its ridiculous levels of toleration has been in vogue lately. The list of ne’er do wells is growing rapidly. And while Mark Chmura and Rae Carruth are presently on trial for much greater offenses than obstruction of justice, I find the list of myths we are still willing to preserve curious.

The message is clear: Don’t screw with Disney World, that’s for sure. To do so would be to trespass on hallowed ground. The Magic Kingdom has long been the great national child preserve, and we seem more willing to protect the image of Disney World as a Shangri-La for children than we are to protect sports as a vehicle for character. We’re not playing by the numbers. Millions of kids each year visit Disney World, but many, many more participate in organized sports. It doesn’t make sense.

Charles Barkley spoke for hordes of professional athletes when he said he didn’t want to be anyone’s role model. Phooey. Like it or not, professional athletes are role models. The NFL certainly doesn’t hesitate trooping out its more admirable players for its United Way ads, even once doing a spot with the now disgraced Chumura fresh out of his good Catholic school alma mater, Boston College. But the NFL is equally willing to turn a blind eye to the infractions of its disreputables. This is the hypocrisy of the dollar, and our continued viewership is further evidence we’ve sold out the role model myth.

General Mills, the maker of Wheaties, recently announced that Ray Lewis would not be invited to pose on the cereal box. The cover instead features Shannon Sharpe and four other Ravens (click here to see the Wheaties picture). In an interview with the Associated Press, Sean Brenner, managing editor for the Chicago-based IEG Sponsorship sports marketing newsletter, summed up the situation perfectly. "Whatever the result of trial, to have someone who is close enough to a double murder as recently as last year is not the kind of spokesman that corporate America wants to have represent them right now," Brenner said. 

I’m guessing this is the same corporate America the NFL belongs to, which means that what Brenner is really saying is the result of the trial determined the means by which corporate America will profit from Ray Lewis. The league will continue to make money if he plays, but advertisers will lose if they use his image in conjunction with their product. It comes down to strategic placement.

Bottom line is the NFL failed to uphold its responsibilities. Appropriate disciplinary action is not beyond a professional league’s capability. Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, in addition to expressing disappointment, did not hesitate to both suspend and fine the verbally offensive John Rocker. And as hateful as Rocker’s statements were, no one got killed. In stark contrast, Lewis was there someone pulled out a deadly knife … and used it. Twice. And the league did nothing. He should have been suspended for at least three weeks at the start of the season and given a hefty fine. He should have been barred from receiving any league or championship game awards. Further, there should have been a press blackout. No interviews, no gratuitous camera shots. Nothing. What did CBS do instead? Slate’s Gregg Easterbrook put it best when he said he could think of only one word to describe the sports media’s pandering to Lewis - a word that rhymes with ‘door.” Amen, brother.

It’s unfortunate, but for me, at least, the Ray Lewis controversy obscured the game. It was painful for me to watch this hooligan slap the Red, White and Blue around the field. Even sundry Wazzup ads provided little relief — because what’s up is what’s down, the credibility of professional football and our willingness to hold players accountable. And for all you folks out there thinking the XFL will provide deliverance”forget it. There’s no doubt Lewis was a key member of the better team. The Ravens won, hands down. But the bad guys didn’t play fair. The NFL cheated itself the moment Ray Lewis stepped on the field. In every possible way, it was a giant loss.

Joe Newman lives in Connecticut. When not watching television, he writes about rare books.

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