Let’s talk showboats, show-offs and style.
In sports, we applaud style. When a player does things his or her way and can back it up with performance, the player becomes larger than life and adds to the entertainment of the sport. We like those who go about their business (the business of sports performance) with quiet class, and we admire these athletes. But the ones we often go to watch are the ones who are brash, creative, entertaining and unique … as long as they can back up their shenanigans with results. Those athletes with cockiness – today, we call it swagger or swag – make us pay attention. So do we hope they succeed or hope they fail? The decision rests with fans and the athlete they are watching.
Babe Ruth had swagger, and he backed it up by being the greatest of his generation and, many argue, the greatest baseball player of all time. In game three of the 1932 World Series, he appeared to “call his shot.” He apparently motioned to the center field bleachers in Wrigley Field. Whether he was pointing to the seats where he would deliver a home run or was gesturing to the fans who were booing him, he hit the next pitch right to the spot he was pointing. A legend was enhanced, and he delivered.
When Muhammad Ali made poems about his opponents and even predicted in the rhyme the round in which he would knock out his foe, and then delivered the KO … he paid off the brashness and he did it with style … dancing around the ring and trash talking his ring enemy.
In the NBA, there are finger wags – Dikembe Motumbo; people who gave themselves nicknames – Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins; and trash talkers, chest thumpers and camera-muggers galore, who pay off with performance.
In the NFL, Cam Newton flashes a Superman costume; Ndamukong Suh dances around fallen opponents; Clay Matthews danced, pranced and fist pumped over those he sacked; Elmo Wright of the University of Houston and the Kansas City Chiefs may have invented the touchdown dance, but Billy “White Shoes” Johnson made it a “thing” … he refined it and brought it into our culture. We couldn’t wait to see his next touchdown and his next dance.
These showboats paid it off … but recently, in the American League Divisional Series, Cleveland’s Josh Naylor may have carried on-field celebration too far. Naylor was facing New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole. Naylor had a checkered past against Cole, hitting a double and a home run against Cole in the 2020 Wild Card series … but his team lost and was eliminated. Naylor went 1-for-9 against Cole during this season, and he hit a homer against Cole in game four of the playoffs … a homer that left his team still trailing, and they were again eliminated the next game. Following his blast, he ran around the bases slowly, pretending to rock a baby as he ran, while looking at Cole. Naylor said he rocks a baby because anyone he hits a homer off becomes his “son.” Following the homer, he went hitless the rest of that game and the following game as his team went home. New York fans thought the baby-rock was the height of disrespect. Cole though it was interesting and was not offended, and when fans the next day at Yankee Stadium played the baby bit up with derisive cheers, outlandish props and comments as they got on the perpetrator, Naylor, to his credit, said he thought it was cool that the whole stadium got into it.
The point was, Naylor a .253 career hitter with 36 homers in 1,032 at bats, enjoyed himself but brought on the wrath of many who feel he disrespected the game. Did he go too far? Many hoped he would go on to fail. What about you? Is this just personality, swag and entertainment? Or is this too much from someone who didn’t back it up, but it would be OK if he went on and became the next Babe Ruth?
What do you think? Do you ever root against an athlete? Let me know how you feel, at mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com.
