September 10, 2005

NYTIMES TENNIS REPORTER MAKES A GUILTY DISCOVERY: POVERTY EXISTS IN AMERICA

        One of the small pleasures of attending a sporting event is the time devoted to celebrating America. The crowd stands respectfully for the national anthem, and patriotic pride is shared at the playing of God Bless America. Occasionally, for special events, a flyover of fighter jets draws 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the crowd. At one game in Yankee Stadium, shortly after 9-11, a spectacular trio of Air Force parachutists descended, bullseye!, onto a huge American flag while the West Point band played a glorious Sousa march, Remarkably, these displays of unabashed patriotism shared proudly by fans of diverse backgrounds, escaped the critical gaze of the NYTimes editorialists. Perhaps the sports pages were regarded as not worthy of the attention of serious people, like Gail Collins, Maureen Dowd, Tom ('it's a flat world, after all') Friedman, Paul Krugman and friends.
        Although political correctness did invade the Times's sports coverage, especially when it came to their relentless efforts on behalf of androgyny, patriotism itself was not a target. Now, however, NYTimes tennis reporter, William Rhoden is shocked, shocked by discovering in the aftermath of a hurricane, that poor people do exist in America. Recovering from the vapors induced by this rather late recognition, Rhoden felt troubled when he heard John Mc'Enroe say he was happy there would be an American in the final of the U.S. Open. He tells us his deep thoughts designed to convey what a caring person he is, even while covering a sport like tennis. He's newly, post-Katrina, conflicted about 'flag waving' patriotism. He can no longer join in such expressions of affection and gratitude to this great nation. His profound, hand wringing reflections lead him to wonder how we can celebrate America when, good grief, poverty still exists! He writes guiltily that before Katrina he would have cheered, but now he has seen the light. "...Horrifying images since the storm have underscored the reality that there are multiple tiers of America and Americans. The images of death, desparation, hopelessness and poverty flushed into full view, have made many of us wonder where this America was hiding. We did not recognize it. Some of us did not even realize this America existed..." Having suddenly awakened to the fact that America is not utopia, Rhoden is angry. The America he thought he rooted for was an idealized version of a child's yearning for perpetual bliss. To become aware of reality is disillusioning. Rhoden no longer knows which America he's celebrating when the flag is waved. Notice his use of the editorial "we", designed to implicate all of us in his guilt, while suggesting that because America is not an egalitarian paradise it is simply impossible to feel and express unabashed patriotic sentiments.
         The glory days of sports reporting are long gone. We won't see the likes of Red Smith or Jimmy Cannon again, because they had not been indoctrinated in the dogma of post-modern journalism, whose aim is to create a politically correct 'narrative'. Is it too much to ask that the NYTimes's stable of bloviating, self-flattering pontificators be kept away from the sports pages? If we need or want instruction in politically correct thinking, we can find it every day, right there on the front page as well as the Op-Ed page. Let's reclaim the sports pages as a cant-free zone.