Jerry Maguire is one of my heroes. I know he’s a fictional character. But George Bailey restores the faith of millions every holiday season, simply because he did the right thing when the time called for it. And for all of those people, he’s about as real as they come.
Jerry stood for the same thing: doing right by people even when others in his same shoes were taking an easier, greedier path. And of course, in Capra-esque fashion, both George and Jerry win in the end. And so do we, for watching their stories.
But I digress.
I love Jerry, and the movie Cameron Crowe wrote about the fragile do-gooder, because Jerry gets It. The “It” being the difference between good and bad. He gets it in the beginning of the film, when his voiceover ticks off the future sports heroes of America:
“See, America sets the tone for the world. In Indiana—Clark Hodd. Thirteen. The best point guard in the country. Seattle, Washington. Dallas Molloy. Went to court to be allowed to box professionally. She’s sixteen.”
These, I’m sure, are based on real life scenarios. Which brings me to Milan Simon Tuttle, today’s media darling and Youtube sensation.
Look at her go. She’s the next Curly Neal! Or maybe the next Jordan McCabe.
Or Marquise Walker.
He’s proof that kids aren’t necessarily being raised as much as marketed.
Why? The almighty dollar, of course.
The massive moolah waiting to be scooped up by athletes is no secret. Talent is important, but marketability is paramount. Anna Kournikova, anyone? Sure. Why not (notice not much tennis in those pics…)
Marketers are willing to throw great gobs of money at potential stars of the future. It’s what spurred Jerry on. And what eventually led him to make a U-turn and become a truly decent man. In his words:
“Now, I’ll be honest with you. I started noticing it a few years ago and didn’t say anything. In the quest for the big dollars, a lot of little things were going wrong.”
He sees the light. So he writes his mission statement.
“…we must crack open the clenched fist and give back a little for the common good…we must simply be the best version of ourselves…that goodness will be unbeatable and the money will follow.”
He distributes it to all of the agents at his firm. Which gets him fired and sends his career spiraling downward. But it eventually brings him love and success. Cool, huh? I love Jerry.
I love sports marketing, too. Not all parts of it, but enough of it to make it a major part of my life. Just because it’s more corporate business than personal pleasure doesn’t mean I can’t embrace it, learn about it, live it, and make a living off it.
More than anything, it reminds me of how lucky we are to be able to partake in our sports culture. Milan Tuttle, Marquise Walker, Frank Cushman, and the great Jerry Maguire; real or fictional, future stars or heartbreaking busts, they all feed our imaginations, demonstrate our potential, and remind us of what’s possible.
Because it’s not just about the money. It’s about the Kwan.
As Thanksgiving approaches, that’s a nice thing to keep in mind. Especially since we get to watch football all day between helpings of Tryptophan.
Hope you all have a great holiday week. I’m out of commission from November 22-29, and some of my extremely talented and Kwan-filled colleagues at Element 79 will be joining the SportsCentric fray. Enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Let's not forget the "chosen one" the child that was marketed since he was 5 on the Mike Douglas show and is now the most powerful man in sports-Tiger Woods.
Absolutely. Excellent point. I would ask one question, though: was Earl Woods doing it for the love of golf, or was he trying to get rich? I think the crazy parents marketing their kids these days are in it more for the dough than the show.
who wins in a fight--
jerry or garp?
obviously, if it was wrestling, garp would take him in a second. but barenuckled, i think j might just have a chance.
I think he was doing it to advance Earl Woods-and to get rich
Post a Comment