THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 5, 1995 TAG: 9502050150
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Nice guys may not always finish last, but they aren't the first choice for TV commercials and other endorsement schemes.
What sports needs is more heroes. Yet everywhere you look, the weird and egotistical are being pushed to the front of the line.
Professional self-promoters dominate the athletic stage. Or so it seems.
But is it possible that we've just been looking in the wrong places? That the genuine heroes are not the traffic lights and human billboards?
Legitimate candidates for hero status are out there right now, in plain view. They are, to name the most obvious: Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Grant Hill and Pete Sampras.
It's up to us to notice. And to appreciate what makes them special.
Hero. That word and the concept behind it are unnerving when you consider that O.J. Simpson was and still is a hero to a lot of people.
But if we must designate our designated role models, we could do a lot worse than the quartet nominated here.
Young seems too good to be true. He's wealthy without being ostentatious. He is known for liking his cars and his clothes well broken in.
Young does not lack confidence. But he is secure enough to let his play speak for itself. He is comfortable with the media, but not in love with his own voice.
He does not smoke or drink. He donates large chunks of money to his church. Part of his time and salary goes into running a foundation for kids.
``There has to be more to my life than just being the quarterback of the 49ers,'' Young said after his Super Bowl MVP performance. ``Someday they'll throw me out of this game.''
No wonder mega-fame has avoided Young until now, despite two league MVP awards. He doesn't fit the image of a '90s superstar. He's too down to earth.
When Young and Rice were pictured embracing after the 49ers' championship victory, we saw a portrait of professionalism.
On the field, Rice is a blur of savvy and nerve. But his spectacular moves and uncommon consistency are the result of a work ethic that sets him apart from most of his contemporaries.
In some ways, Rice is old-school. He is spectacular without playing the peacock. He wears his success like a finely tailored suit, not like a lockerful of gold chains.
When you think of Rice, what comes to mind is the word dignity. It's not a word usually associated with the modern athlete.
If, before now, Rice and Young have been largely ignored by Madison Avenue and the MTV generation, it is because class, like nice, does not sell.
That may be changing.
When Detroit Pistons rookie Grant Hill unexpectedly received more votes for this month's NBA All-Star Game than any player in the league, it was taken as a sign that fans are tiring of the head cases and bad actors now entering the league.
``Maybe some of it has to do with going to Duke and the successes we had there,'' Hill said. ``And I know, too, that people look at me as a nice guy.''
Nobody ever doubted Sampras was a nice guy, though some wondered if he was human.
Sampras wasn't fully appreciated until he encountered difficulty on the tennis court, first at last year's U.S. Open, more recently in Australia. Fighting fatigue, blisters and his own emotions Down Under, Pete revealed a depth of character we hadn't seen. Or wouldn't see.
For Sampras, the price of affection was losing.
Young, on the other hand, had to win the Super Bowl before he could be rewarded with the public's full embrace.
He's done his part. So have Rice, Hill and Sampras.
Sports fans usually get what they deserve. The question is: Do we really deserve these heroes? by CNB