Sports Perspectives

By Alex

Before I get into Canadian speed skater Jeremy Wotherspoon, let me vent a little about an athlete’s legacy in the eyes of fans and media.

After Peyton Manning threw that pick effectively sealing the fate of the Colts, predictable commentating mayhem about his legacy ensued. Like how his 9-9 playoff record suddenly became the leitmotif in judging his career. Leading up to the Super Bowl, moreover, pundits declared that in order for Manning to be in the “pantheon of Joe Montana” he had to win a second Super Bowl.

Body of work means nothing anymore it seems. When people talk about The Rolling Stones or another rock band, they consider the entire repertoire of music and albums produced; not the one or two crappy ones made. Why should it be any different with an athlete?

So effen what Manning threw that interception? It wasn’t a choke play. It was a mistake. The Saints had been a solid, “big play” defense all year. End of story. That one play doesn’t define his career; his “legacy” as it were.

Manning is still young. He can still make the Super Bowl a couple of times. Whether he does or not, it shouldn’t detract that he’s hands down one of the greatest ever.

Which brings me to Wotherspoon. With 67 world titles under his belt, he’s considered one of the best at his craft – ever. Yet, he could never do better than a silver at the Olympics. And we won’t bring up the infamous tripping at the start line incident. Too late. I just did.

Yes, I suppose it’s easy to dismiss Wotherspoon as a “choker.” It’s an attitude Canadians are becoming increasingly accustomed too regarding their Olympians. That is, when it matters most, at the primest of prime times, we just don’t come through.

But consider what American speed skating champion Dan Jansen told CTV sports in a recent interview. In paraphrased form, he basically said Wotherpsoon didn’t need to win gold or even a medal to prove he’s arguably the greatest speed skater in his specialty ever. They know this within the skating community.

Wotherspoon earned the respect of his peers. Therein lies, in Hansen’s comments, an important distinction. For sports fans of a particular sports, the ones who dutifully follow it, things are always kept in perspective because they know about the life, times, achievements and failures of an athlete.

That he wasn’t able to bring home gold is a huge disappointment for Canada but we shouldn’t complain; imagine how he must feel.

However, for fringe sports like speed skating that are scrutinized every four years, for the population at large the Olympics is the only competition that counts; it may as well be the only one that exists. It’s not right, but it’s how things are. People are very selfish that way. The body of work is ignored or at the very least they have to be reminded. Even then, the stench of losing is hard to ignore.

It’s true athletes who excel at the world championships do indeed have their eyes on the big prize: Olympic gold. There’s no denying that.

Nevertheless, when it doesn’t happen, it’s not a reason to cast dispersion on a lifetime of successes and hard work.

It just isn’t.