Since the time of ancient Greece, and probably even before, people have revered exceptional athletes. The best and brightest in the sporting world have often been deified into larger-than-life characters for their physical abilities, which seem to transcend beyond us regular folks.
Traditionally however, the personal side of most athletes has remained secondary to their achievements on the field, on the court, or in the ring. The attitude seems to be that athletes are best seen and not heard, and the most outspoken are often met with the greatest punishments. For example, boxing legend Muhammad Ali once had his heavyweight title stripped for five years for voicing his opposition to the Vietnam War. While not quite as extreme, recent events and the rise of social media are posing the question, what are the limits of free speech for professional athletes and coaches?
The most high-profile case involves the Miami Marlins and its new manager, Ozzie Guillén. As part of a rebranding campaign for the franchise, the Marlins wanted to market themselves to the large population of Latinos in the Miami area. Part of the strategy included bringing in Guillén, a Venezuelan-born manager who became the first Latino skipper to win a World Series when he guided the Chicago White Sox to the title in 2005. With several new free-agent signings and a new stadium, things appeared to be looking up for the Marlins. But just five games into the new season, the good feelings evaporated with the publication of the April 9 issue of Time magazine, in which Guillén was quoted as saying, “I love Fidel Castro … I respect Fidel Castro.”
It was a bold statement, especially given the team’s large Cuban-American fanbase. Though Guillén later clarified his statements, saying he admired the former dictator for his ability to remain in power after so many attempts to unseat him, protestors called for his resignation. The Marlins responded to the flap by suspending Guillén without pay for five games, which he recently finished. Guillén has apologized profusely since the article came out, but he still has a long way to go before mending the fences with his employers and the fans.
Whether you agree with Guillén or not, the fact is he was simply voicing an opinion—albeit an unpopular one. In retrospect, the Marlins should’ve been prepared to deal with such a situation. It isn’t the first time the outspoken manager has gotten in trouble for speaking his mind; he’s already made a name for himself with his candid comments in the media and on his own Twitter account. In 2006, he publically used a homosexual slur to describe a Chicago Sun-Times columnist, and later drew flack for comments about Asian versus Latino ballplayers. The Time article wasn’t even the first time Guillén had publically praised Castro in print, but apparently, context matters.
When NBA star Charles Barkley took heat for famously proclaiming himself as not being a “role model” in a 1992 Nike ad, he was both right and wrong. Yes, people shouldn’t be looking to athletes for advice on how to live their lives, but along with fame naturally comes idolization, especially from young children. That being said, we shouldn’t expect our athletes to be anything less than human.
Professional sports have come a long way since the days when reporters would refuse to print negative stories that could tarnish the image of icons like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. In the past, what did come through of an athlete’s personality was carefully managed, marketed, and filtered through public relations firms and the media. But with the rise of social networking, fans are now able to catch an unfettered glimpse of the person behind the statistics. How else would we know that L.A. Clippers’ forward Blake Griffin, in addition to his dunking ability, is actually a pretty funny guy?
But with unfiltered communication also comes controversy, as happened for Pittsburgh Steelers’ running back Rashard Mendenhall, who drew fire for comments seemingly defending Osama bin Laden on the night of his death. Boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr., also got in hot water for his tweets stating New York Knicks’ point guard Jeremy Lin only gets attention because he’s Asian-American.
The latest athlete to draw attention for his on-Twitter presence is former Oakland A’s slugger Jose Canseco, who has experienced a career boost from his oftentimes arrogant and occasionally hilarious rants on Twitter. The medium has also been used for anything from basketball players and UFC fighters calling each other out, to football players tweeting disparaging locker room-type remarks about who they’re matching up against that week. The NFL has gone so far as to implement game day restrictions on social media for its players, and teams in other sports have followed suit.
So where is the line between freedom of speech and being conscious of who and what you represent? As the saying goes, I may not agree with what you say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it. To me, sports needs athletes and coaches who speak their minds, even if they might be considered foolish or misguided. Without the Charles Barkleys, the Dennis Rodmans, and even the Ozzie Guilléns of the world to throw a little wrench in the gears, what a boring place it would be, and we all suffer when any speech is stifled.
But what do I know? I’m just a bum. And that’s my view from the bleachers.
The Bleacher Bum can be contacted at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 3, 2012.