Al Saracevic on the intersection of sports and real life.
The intersection of society and sport grows ever more congested. It feels like we’re approaching gridlock.
Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned, and conspiracy theories abound. Marshawn Lynch sat out the anthem, and we’re not sure why. Kevin Durant won’t go the White House, and we do know why. High schools are abandoning their Rebels mascots, while medical marijuana advocates are championing its use to combat opioid addiction and concussions. Domestic violence remains a regular occurrence.
None of this has much to do with wins and losses. Nor does it occur between the lines. But all of it is finding its way into sports media with increasing frequency.
Not everyone likes that. On a daily basis, my staff and I receive missives from angry readers who don’t want to see race, domestic violence, drug abuse and protests in the Sporting Green.
The basic argument goes like this: “I’m sick and tired of reading about racial politics/ domestic violence/anthem protests on the cover of The Green! Sportswriters should stick to sports and leave all that political garbage for the op-ed page. I read sports to escape all that stuff!”
Then the reader usually calls me an idiot and a hack and I move on to the next email — which usually demands to know why we don’t cover Formula 1 racing or ultimate Frisbee.
It’s all part and parcel of the sports editor’s job, and I truly appreciate the passion of our readers, regardless of tone, aggression or name calling. They have strong emotional ties to The Chronicle, and it’s our job here at 901 Mission to act as stewards. It’s a public institution and a sacred trust.
But I want to address the core criticism head on. The intersection of social issues and sports is something we cover with gusto here at The Chronicle. In my mind, it’s the most important thing we do.
Before we go any further, let me stress this: I get it. Sports provide a great escape from day-to-day pressures. They’re pure entertainment, with their own tension and drama, heroes and goats, winners and losers. Competition as proxy for battle. A way to measure human performance, with the benefit of a true result.
People want to read about the players and the games. It’s the core of what we do.
But I also think of sports as a reflection of society, a great, giant mirror that reveals our finest features and our ugliest flaws. Football reflects our bloodlust. Baseball reflects our need for statistical order. Basketball, like dance, reflects our appreciation for aesthetics.
But that reflection includes off-the-field realities, too. Domestic violence. Political division. Racial tension. Drug abuse. Civil rights. It’s all on the sports page for a reason. These same issues impact us all. The sports world wrestles with it all, under a microscope.
I remember back when The Chronicle was leading the pack in covering baseball’s ugly steroid era. The saga of Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa led to criminal investigations, changes in policy and, eventually, congressional hearings.
I’d like to think that somewhere in the wake of that reporting, a high school baseball player decided to pass on PEDs. I’d like to think the national pastime and our society benefited.
I’m not sure about that today, considering the record number of home runs leaving ballparks around the country. But the battle isn’t lost. It’s on the sports media to dig back into the story. What’s going on here? How does it impact society?
That’s the nexus: sports and society. What does one say about the other? I’ll tell you what: Colin Kaepernick showed us that we’re still a deeply divided nation, months before Donald Trump’s election confirmed it.
Ray Rice represented the ugly face of domestic violence, forcing the NFL to at least try to address the topic seriously.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry just recently preached from the celebrity pulpit, calling out business leaders and speaking truth to political power.
Jim McMahon pulled back the curtain and revealed the truth about football and its crippling effects, along with the resistance to possible solutions.
FIFA’s leadership revealed the evils of soccer’s rampant global corruption.
The list goes on and on, growing longer by the day. And we’ll be here to cover the good and the bad.
Trust me, it will be a fine day when none of these issues are in the sports pages. We’d much prefer to write about Buster Posey’s swing or Curry’s jump shot.
But, at times, the heroes between the lines get overshadowed by the issues beyond the lines. And we’ll be here to write about them.
Send your angry missives to asaracevic@sfchronicle.com.