“Wow. What a press conference from Cam Newton. So gracious! So classy! So humble! What an example to kids!”
Defenders of petulant post-game interviews quickly responded that the actor’s own career included at least one well-publicized incident most people didn’t consider a great example to kids, so maybe he should just zip it. And Lowe, who attended the game wearing a Peyton Manning jersey, is not necessarily the most objective of critics. But, if I knew how to tweet, I might have sent out the same kind of message.
Admittedly, I’m not an objective observer, either. As a reformed sports writer, I’ve had experience attempting to pry pearls of wisdom from pro athletes. When I approached Joe Namath in the locker room after a game and tried to ask him a question, he turned his back on me. Which was not nearly as rewarding as my attempt to interview Jim Brown, whose only response to me was, and I quote, “I don’t talk to sportswriters.” Fortunately for him, I was in a good mood that day, so he escaped without injury.
The relationship between public figures and the news media always has been a contentious one, of course. Just ask Megyn Kelly. In the competition for public adulation the score is pro athletes 1,000,000, sports writers 0. And there have been sports writers who have been every bit as loutish as the louts they were interviewing. But there is no evidence that any of them after Super Bowl 50 asked, “Jeez, Cam, your team really sucked today. What was the problem?” No evidence that Newton suffered any injury other than a blow to his pride.
It’s tempting to rationalize Newton’s attitude; losing a Super Bowl probably wouldn’t make anyone feel real chatty. But, as Denver defensive back Chris Harris noted, “You gotta deal with things and approach it like a man.”
So I think Rob Lowe’s tweet, however snarky, is valid. If pro athletes are meant to be role models for our kids (a highly-debatable proposition) maybe showing our kids how to deal with losing is every bit as important as showing them how to win.
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