Article Review - "Leave It On The Field"

I read an article in Sports Illustrated entitled, “Keep It On The Field” authored by Tim Layden. Layden specifies that sports can reveal character, but those in public service should be judged by their public service. I appreciate Layden's article to critique sports writers that try to find a sports angle when spaking on urrent politicians, etc. He gave the example of Matthew Whitaker, who was appointed Attorney General by President Trump and the news stories that came out highlighting Whitaker's football career supported by a video clip of one of Whitaker's touchdown as a Hawkeye's tight end. Layden's article strives to make it known that though it may be harmless to find a sports connection to a politician, we should reconsider how sports is used to "define identities and shape reputations." 

From a licensed therapist’s perspective, the character of any individual whether in public office or otherwise will always be critical. I am also mindful that how someone portrays themselves with one group of people may not mirror who they are in an entirely different group. Suffice it to say that people are made up of layers of experiences and how they have responded to them.

Layden goes into referencing a few athletes like Cesar Sayoc, 56, a former soccer player who was arrested this past October for sending 16 bombs to various critics of President Trump. Then there’s the Ohio native, All-America high school swimmer, and former Stanford student athlete, Brock Turner. He was arrested in 2015 and charged with 3 counts of felony assault and attempted rape of an unconscious 22-year old woman. Layden went on to report that Turner’s 6-month sentence was criticized for its brevity and his sentence was influenced by him being a Stanford swimmer. While I agree with Layden’s argument that people should not only be judged for their involvement in sports, it is important to note their character in all areas. Granted, I do not think that being an athlete should provide lesser sentences just as I believe someone’s race should not lead to a higher sentence *ahem*. The reality though is that when electing anyone to public service I want to know all about them. Not just the awards and recognition he/she may have gotten from playing sports, but who they are at their jobs and who they are in their home life. I want to know how their baby sister feels about them and how she would describe them. In my opinion, facts should trump emotions. Someone can be a charmer or may make you feel like they are wholeheartedly good but their record reflects that they are disingenuous, disloyal, controlling, unable to manage money, etc. I value who a person is on and off the field. I value one’s ability to lead and not bully. I value one’s ability to be a follower and utilize effective team work skills. Perhaps the things I value are not the expectations of the popular vote.

So Mr. Layden, while I truly support where you are coming from, I want to add to your beliefs that the character of a person running for political office should be assessed on a whole and not just in part. I would agree with you that the media paints scenarios to look a certain way. However, anyone who takes the conjectures of media seriously when considering someone for office is doing a disservice to the political state of this United States of America.