Reveries of football past and future: Thoughts on the Giants, the Steelers, and the return of the NFL

By Richard K. Barry and Michael J.W. Stickings 

RKB:

I was clicking around the channels yesterday afternoon and came upon an NFL Network segment about the New York Giants win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008.

In one of the more famous games in Super Bowl history, my beloved Giants, huge underdogs, beat the previously undefeated Patriots 17-14 -- but you probably knew that.

It will always be one of the most exciting days of my life.

It looks like the lockout is expected to end next week, which pleases me. I never really paid much attention to the relative merits of the positions of management vs. the players. On principle, I always side with the union and hope these guys can get as much out of their careers before the inevitable sixth concussion or blown knee sends them back home for good.

Referring to a long-forgotten sports strike of years past, some wag once said, "no one ever showed up to watch the owners play." Quite so.

But I do love my football, and watching the rehash of how the Giants beat the Pats reminded me how much.

For me, it's all about the cycle of life. My year doesn't begin on January 1st. It begins with that first kick-off of the first game of the regular season.

Yes, I'm a Giants fan. The first superstar for the team I recall was quarterback Y.A. Tittle. There's even a family story about me at about 5 years old being angry with my dad about something and, knowing that he was a big Giants fan too, blurting out, as if to sting him in some way, that "Y.A. Tittle's not very good, either, so there."

And even suffering through some really bad Giants' football in the 60s and 70s doesn't matter. I've loved it all.

It is an amazing thing that grown men and women can obsess about their favorite sports team and have a lousy day or week because their beloved franchise lost a game - not necessarily a big game, just a game. But, I'm one of those. My wife even knows that if the Giants lose she should offer sincere condolences as if something really bad happened.

Crazy, I know.

As I said, I'm glad the league looks like it's getting back to business. When the weather starts to turn, and the leaves along with it, with the fireplace raging in the living room and the game on the big screen television, I am a happy man.

Let's get to it.

**********

MJWS:

I was happy the Giants defeated the Patriots that day, but of course my focus is on my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. (The Giants? Whatever. I prefer to ignore them. As long as they beat the Cowboys, I'm fine.)

(Yes, that's Terry Bradshaw over there, their great QB of the '70s, one of my favourite players when I was a kid and fell in love with them.)

Now, it's been a rough stretch for the Steelers of late. Hines Ward -- arrested on a DUI. James Harrison -- saying some not-so-nice things about Commissioner Goodell and his own teammates. And, of course, Big Ben -- that whole saga last year. Not to mention Rashard Mendenhall's controversial tweets, though I'll still defend him.

But this is still the best and classiest franchise in the NFL, starting with the Rooney family, right on down through Coach Mike Tomlin and the players themselves. Ultimately, I trust they'll get their act together when it matters. Coming off a Super Bowl defeat earlier this year, I worry they'll collapse into mediocrity this year, as they have after recent Super Bowl victories, but, if they play up to their potential, they should compete for a playoff spot and could just make another run at the Super Bowl.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, I'm just happy the league -- owners, players -- seems to have come to its senses. There are billions of dollars to be made. Surely sacrifices can be made on both sides. Surely they can come to a deal that benefits everyone. And it looks like they have. This means we football fans can start focusing again on what we love. Well, we never didn't, but it's official again -- almost.

Honestly, what was I supposed to do without the Steelers? So much of my time, especially in the fall, is spent obsessing about them. And what was I supposed to do without fantasy football? I already have tickets for a game in Pittsburgh, and now I can look forward to that knowing it won't be cancelled. And, to me, there's nothing like going to Pittsburgh, a wonderful city with wonderful people, for a Steelers game. And I can also get my fantasy league going. That's serious business. I hardly wanted to face the emptiness of no season and -- gasp! -- no fantasy season.

So it's back. The NFL. Football. Football!!!!!

There is order to the universe again, a purpose.

Happiness indeed.

Rashard Mendenhall clarifies controversial Twitter remarks

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, you've probably heard, posted some rather interesting tweets on the killing of Osama bin Laden. I wrote about them on Wednesday, defending Mendenhall but not excusing a couple of the more inexcusable tweets.

Presenting himself as a 9/11 Truther? Not so good.

Seeming to be an Osama apologist? Also not so good.

But saying that there's something wrong with celebrating death, with the lust for bloody vengeance, refusing to be a judge (which only his God can truly be), and encouraging thought instead of ignorance? What's so wrong with that?

While defending Mendenhall, to a point, I made sure to stress that he needed to clarify his remarks, to explain himself. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because he appears to be thoughtful, peaceful man. I said that he should have been more careful, that Twitter isn't the best place to express such nuanced thoughts. I said that we shouldn't be too quick to judge. I admired him, in a way, but I was prepared to be more critical if he didn't 

Well, Mendenhall took to his blog (as reported by the Post-Gazette), a blog now with just a single post, for clarification. I encourage you to read his post in full. Here's some of it:

I appreciate those of you who have decided to read this letter and attain a greater understanding of my recent twitter posts. I see how they have gotten misconstrued, and wanted to use this outlet as a way to clear up all things that do not truthfully represent myself, what I stand for personally, and any organization that I am a part of.

First, I want people to understand that I am not in support of Bin Laden, or against the USA. I understand how devastating 9/11 was to this country and to the people whose families were affected. Not just in the US, but families all over the world who had relatives in the World Trade Centers. My heart goes out to the troops who fight for our freedoms everyday, not being certain if they will have the opportunity to return home, and the families who watch their loved ones bravely go off to war.

And he responded specifically to objections to one of his two objectionable tweets, the one in which he said that people shouldn't celebrate death but also in which he wondered how people could hate a man (Osama) they'd never even heard speak:

This controversial statement was something I said in response to the amount of joy I saw in the event of a murder. I don't believe that this is an issue of politics or American pride; but one of religion, morality, and human ethics...

I wasn't questioning Bin Laden's evil acts. I believe that he will have to face God for what he has done. I was reflecting on our own hypocrisy. During 9/11 we watched in horror as parts of the world celebrated death on our soil. Earlier this week, parts of the world watched us in horror celebrating a man's death.

And then he apologized for anything that might have been misconstrued:

Nothing I said was meant to stir up controversy. It was my way to generate conversation. In looking at my timeline in its entirety, everything that I've said is with the intent of expressing a wide array of ideas and generating open and honest discussions, something I believe we as American citizens should be able to do. Most opinions will not be fully agreed upon and are not meant to be. However, I believe every opinion should be respected or at least given some thought. I apologize for the timing as such a sensitive matter, but it was not meant to do harm. I apologize to anyone I unintentionally harmed with anything that I said, or any hurtful interpretation that was made and put in my name.

It was only meant to encourage anyone reading it to think.

With respect to the controversial tweet about hearing Osama's side, I think that Mendenhall wrote inartfully. In other words, he just didn't express himself well. His explanation helps, but obviously he should have been more careful with his words. Because, as it is, that tweet comes across not necessarily as pro-Osama but at least as deeply ignorant. (A lot of us heard Osama speak. A lot of us know the other side. But we still hated the man and were content, if not happy, to see him killed.)

Overall, Mendenhall's clarification, which according to the Post-Gazette he wrote himself, shows him, like his Twitter feed generally, to be an intelligent, humble, and thoughtful man. In a world full of knee-jerk jingoism, including some of what we saw in the aftermath of the killing Sunday night, such a nuanced sense both of self and of the world is truly admirable. (And, in a pro athlete, truly remarkable.) I was a fan of the athlete before. Now I'm a fan of the man.

The problem, though, is that Mendenhall did not address his 9/11 Truther tweet: "We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style." Does he really think that something else was going on, that, say, the U.S. government was behind it, or is he merely musing on a distantly remote possibility? I'd certainly like to know, as would his other fans, as would pretty much everyone else for that matter. He deleted that specific tweet, and so maybe he doesn't think he needs to explain it, but he must know that anything that goes public on a social networking site is likely to remain public no matter what, and that tweet remains out there regardless of whether or not it's in his feed.

So, Rashard, will you not take the time to clarify it? You seem to be a good and decent man. You say you want us all to think. Well, then, give us more than a single tweet about 9/11 and tell us what you really think. I, for one, am certainly open to having a conversation about it, and I suspect that many others are as well. I know you've encountered a lot of knee-jerk jingoism already, but not all of us are like that. And while I will disagree with you if you really are a 9/11 Truther, and while most others will too, you would do well not to let that tweet stand as your only statement on the matter. I suspect your views on that are much more nuanced. So what are they?

Osama bin Laden, 9/11, and the tweets of Rashard Mendenhall

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I really like Rashard Mendenhall. How could I not. He's the starting running back for my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. And a really good one.

What I didn't know was that he's also on Twitter (I'm on Twitter but generally don't follow athletes because I generally don't care what they have to say -- though I will now be following Mendenhall), and that he's a rather provocative tweeter, unlike so many sports figures who traffic in the utterly banal.

And, tweeting about the killing of Osama bin Laden, he's made news for himself, and not necessarily in a good way:

Rashard Mendenhall has created a stir with comments made on his official Twitter page regarding Osama bin Laden's death.

The Pittsburgh Steelers running back on Monday tweeted: "What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side..."

Mendenhall didn't hold back, even making a reference to the Sept. 11 attacks.

"We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style."

*****

Among his other bin Laden tweets:

"I believe in God. I believe we're ALL his children. And I believe HE is the ONE and ONLY judge."

"Those who judge others, will also be judged themselves."

"For those of you who said you want to see Bin Laden burn [in hell and piss on his ashes], I ask how would God feel about your heart?"

"There is not an ignorant bone in my body. I just encourage you to think."

The Steelers, an organization I admire immensely, and the Rooneys who own them, a family I admire as well, were not amused:

On Tuesday, team president Art Rooney II released a statement.

"I have not spoken with Rashard, so it is hard to explain or even comprehend what he meant with his recent Twitter comments. The entire Steelers organization is very proud of the job our military personnel have done and we can only hope this leads to our troops coming home soon."

Let me just say this: I understand why the Steelers responded, but I admire Mendenhall greatly for tweeting so thoughtfully.

He lost me with his 9/11 conspiracy tweet, with which I entirely disagree, and there was no need for him to go there. He also lost me with his tweet about hearing only one side, as if Osama was somehow innocent, as if he did nothing wrong. What exactly is the other side? It's not like Osama ever denied the charges against him. He was the leader of al Qaeda. Is there really any dispute? I agree that a lot of people know nothing of not just of Osama but of his brand of jihadism other than that he and it are pure evil, that is, what they are told they must think, and I do wish people were better educated and understood not just what jihadist terrorism is but why it is, but I'm not sure you have to hear the other side to be anti-Osama, or to hate him. The 9/11 attacks were his. That's enough.

So, not good.

Other than that, though, is what he wrote really so controversial? Yes, perhaps, though only by the standards of American jingoistic patriotism that allows for neither dissent nor nuance of any kind.

He tweeted about celebrating death, and I agree that there's something troubling about that. (I said as much in my post on Osama's death Sunday night.)

He tweeted that God (his God) is the only true judge. I don't agree with that, as I'm not a believer, but that's all Christians, Jews, and Muslims believe. And it what it says to me is that Mendenhall is a man of humility, contrary to the egotism of most of the rest of us who judge all the time.

He tweeted about the lust for violent retribution, for wishing suffering and death on another. That, too, I think, is troubling -- not what Mendenhall wrote but that lust for vengeance that pollutes our souls.

And he tweeted about countering ignorance with thoughtfulness. What's wrong with that?

Now, it's not clear what Mendenhall thinks of what happened on Sunday, nor of 9/11, nor of the so-called "war on terror." I hope he's not really a conspiracy theorist and that, allowing for an appreciation of the other side, he understands what Osama was really all about and why action had to be taken.

While I applauded the news of Osama's death, I did so in a muted way. Here's what I wrote: "Many will applaud this, and, in my own way, I will too. But I won't do so with glee. Because I just don't think the situation warrants it. Not after all that has happened, after all the death, after all the suffering. The gravity of the situation is simply too immense... I feel great joy. I'm just not in such a celebratory mood. Because as big as this is, I remain filled with sadness that the world is as it is. And war, even in victory, such that this is a victory, is always sad. Given the gravity of it all, I cannot quite let myself go."

I still feel that way, more or less. I don't think it's right to celebrate death. I understand why people let loose and allowed themselves to celebrate the news, and I understand that Osama's killing amounted to a sense of closure for many who lost loved ones on 9/11. But I think Canadian Prime Minster Stephen Harper put it well when he said that "Canada receives the news of the death of Osama bin Laden with sober satisfaction." That's how I received it. Satisfied, but not in some fist-pumping, flag-waving way, relieved that some sense of justice had finally been done.

I suspect that Mendenhall will clarify his remarks soon. He cannot simply let them stand as they are. But let's give him the benefit of the doubt. He would appear to be a thoughtful man, a peaceful man. He should have been more careful, perhaps, given that Twitter is hardly the best place to communicate such thoughts, but he wrote a lot that is good and positive alongside the tweets that raise concerns. And, yes, I admire him for that.

If he really is a 9/11 conspiracy theorist and Osama bin Laden apologist, I'll be disappointed and critical. But let's not be too quick to judge. Humility, after all, is preferable to its opposite.