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Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last week or so, you’ve heard about the death of Pat Tillman in Afghanistan.
While news of deaths of US Soldiers in Afghanistan and various parts of the globe clutter our newspapers and TV screens on a daily basis, the death of Pat Tillman seemed to garner nationwide attention.
You see, Pat Tillman gave up a $3.6 million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals to “follow his true calling” and serve his country. It’s a great story, perfect for news reports, magazine stories, and made for TV movies.
The news media, and society in general, jumped all over the story. The Arizona Cardinals already announced that they will retire his #40, as well as dedicate the season to him. The NFL is expected to follow suit. News anchors are interviewing people who knew the man on a daily basis, all praising the mans virtues and values, calling him a true hero.
Now I know what everyone is expecting, you’re all saying, “Ken Tuccio, you unsympathetic little fuck, you’re going to bash the death of a US Soldier aren’t you?!?!?!” . Not to save your life.
All the words being said about Pat Tillman are true, he is a hero in every sense of the word. I appreciate the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country, support him 100%, and am forever grateful for the part he played in making both mine, and my families lives, a little safer. Pat Tillman is a true hero.
I do however have a gripe (I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't) but it’s not with Pat Tillman … it’s with the news media.
Now, I’ll be honest, prior to this story coming to fruition I didn’t know Pat Tillman from a hole in the wall … and I’m a huge football fan. However, on the same note, as a huge football fan (sports fan in general) I’m also the first person to say that American society puts far too heavy an emphasis on the world of professional sports. Men like Lebron James, Michael Jordan, and even players on my beloved Yankees are held one level above everyone else. The world seems to forget that they're simply men who play childrens games ... that's it.
I always believe it's okay to respect what a player does on the field, which I do, but not to take it beyond that. American society seems to believe that the ability to perform in an athletic setting automatically makes you a humanitarian and a spark of pride in the flame of society. That has never been more evident to me than now, for a reason I never would have thought would make me come to that conclusion, that is after watching the world mourn over a fallen soldier on a national level … but it sickens me to think that they’re only praising him on this level because he was a pro football player.
Pat Tillman is a man I have nothing but respect and gratitude for, and anyone who doesn’t feel the same deserves a slap in the face. However, I must ask, what makes his life more important and noteworthy than the lives of the other soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our freedom?
While Pat Tillman gets an MTV news special, and NFL seasons dedicated to him, the other fallen soldiers get 2 paragraph blurbs in their local papers and the unenviable spot as one of the “8 DEAD SOLDIERS” in the graphic that rolls below MSNBC everyday.
I’ll be perfectly blunt, it makes me sick.
Every fallen soldier deserves the praise and worship that Pat Tillman is getting, every God damn one of them. Do they get that though? No, not at all. They have to settle for the blurbs and the footnotes, while they should not be settling for that at all.
The news media is jumping all over this piece because it’s “A Good Story“. A good story? What makes that story better than the story of the Joe down the street from you who gave his life? Just because Pat Tillman wore a helmet and shoulder pads in the NFL for a few years, he deserves more recognition than anyone else? A life lost in war is a life lost in war, however the media doesn't seem to be grasping that same opinion in this case.
As I stated, the news media hopped on this because it's a great story. It shows a mans true character and virtues by telling the world how he turned down millions of dollars to serve his country. It is a great story, but hey you want a story? Go to any funeral of a fallen soldier. Sit down with the mother who just lost her son or daughter. I'm sure that could bring you emotion worthy of a made for TV movie. How about you go and talk to the widow who's left to raise her 3 kids by herself? Her husband left to fight for our country for the same reasons Tillman did, only he didn't leave a million dollar job, he left because he wanted to provide for his family the best way he knew how. How come stories like those aren't enough to warrant an MTV news special? How come the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, any sports league isn't dedicating their seasons to those men? Do they not deserve that recognition?
Wait, I know the real reason ... none of those people threw on a jersey and played football 17 Sundays out of the year. That’s it … why would they deserve a tribute, I mean, if they didn’t do that then their death’s not worth recognizing right? That’s the impression the news coverage is giving me.
Every fallen soldier deserves the amount of recognition that Pat Tillman is getting ... every single one of them. The Cardinals and the NFL should be dedicating the season to all the fallen men and women, not just that one. Don't hold one's mans death above anothers based on his athletic exploits.
I think I’ve said it 3 times in this article alone, but I’m going to say it again because I don’t want to be mistaken. Pat Tillman is a hero, but he’s not the only one. While I do appreciate the fact that Pat Tillman gave his life for my freedom, I don’t hold his death any higher than those who died before him or those who are bound to die after him for the same cause.
The thing I keep hearing is that Pat Tillman refused media coverage in regards to his actions, he didn’t want it. He thought what he was doing was the right thing … in my mind that’s a noble thing to do. The fact that I hadn’t heard of the man prior to this tragic event proves that he wasn’t a media whore.
Based on that information about him, that he didn’t need the spotlight, that makes me think that Pat Tillman would be sickened to see his death being given more limelight and recognition than anyone elses. I didn't know the man, but the stories being told about him seem to all make me come to that conclusion.
Like I said in the previous paragraph, while I appreciate the fact that Pat Tillman gave his life for my freedom (and always will), I don’t hold his death any higher than those who died before him or those who are bound to die after him for the same cause … if I was a betting man, I’d wager good money that that’s exactly the way Pat Tillman would want people to feel.
Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last week or so, you’ve heard about the death of Pat Tillman in Afghanistan.
While news of deaths of US Soldiers in Afghanistan and various parts of the globe clutter our newspapers and TV screens on a daily basis, the death of Pat Tillman seemed to garner nationwide attention.
You see, Pat Tillman gave up a $3.6 million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals to “follow his true calling” and serve his country. It’s a great story, perfect for news reports, magazine stories, and made for TV movies.
The news media, and society in general, jumped all over the story. The Arizona Cardinals already announced that they will retire his #40, as well as dedicate the season to him. The NFL is expected to follow suit. News anchors are interviewing people who knew the man on a daily basis, all praising the mans virtues and values, calling him a true hero.
Now I know what everyone is expecting, you’re all saying, “Ken Tuccio, you unsympathetic little fuck, you’re going to bash the death of a US Soldier aren’t you?!?!?!” . Not to save your life.
All the words being said about Pat Tillman are true, he is a hero in every sense of the word. I appreciate the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country, support him 100%, and am forever grateful for the part he played in making both mine, and my families lives, a little safer. Pat Tillman is a true hero.
I do however have a gripe (I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't) but it’s not with Pat Tillman … it’s with the news media.
Now, I’ll be honest, prior to this story coming to fruition I didn’t know Pat Tillman from a hole in the wall … and I’m a huge football fan. However, on the same note, as a huge football fan (sports fan in general) I’m also the first person to say that American society puts far too heavy an emphasis on the world of professional sports. Men like Lebron James, Michael Jordan, and even players on my beloved Yankees are held one level above everyone else. The world seems to forget that they're simply men who play childrens games ... that's it.
I always believe it's okay to respect what a player does on the field, which I do, but not to take it beyond that. American society seems to believe that the ability to perform in an athletic setting automatically makes you a humanitarian and a spark of pride in the flame of society. That has never been more evident to me than now, for a reason I never would have thought would make me come to that conclusion, that is after watching the world mourn over a fallen soldier on a national level … but it sickens me to think that they’re only praising him on this level because he was a pro football player.
Pat Tillman is a man I have nothing but respect and gratitude for, and anyone who doesn’t feel the same deserves a slap in the face. However, I must ask, what makes his life more important and noteworthy than the lives of the other soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our freedom?
While Pat Tillman gets an MTV news special, and NFL seasons dedicated to him, the other fallen soldiers get 2 paragraph blurbs in their local papers and the unenviable spot as one of the “8 DEAD SOLDIERS” in the graphic that rolls below MSNBC everyday.
I’ll be perfectly blunt, it makes me sick.
Every fallen soldier deserves the praise and worship that Pat Tillman is getting, every God damn one of them. Do they get that though? No, not at all. They have to settle for the blurbs and the footnotes, while they should not be settling for that at all.
The news media is jumping all over this piece because it’s “A Good Story“. A good story? What makes that story better than the story of the Joe down the street from you who gave his life? Just because Pat Tillman wore a helmet and shoulder pads in the NFL for a few years, he deserves more recognition than anyone else? A life lost in war is a life lost in war, however the media doesn't seem to be grasping that same opinion in this case.
As I stated, the news media hopped on this because it's a great story. It shows a mans true character and virtues by telling the world how he turned down millions of dollars to serve his country. It is a great story, but hey you want a story? Go to any funeral of a fallen soldier. Sit down with the mother who just lost her son or daughter. I'm sure that could bring you emotion worthy of a made for TV movie. How about you go and talk to the widow who's left to raise her 3 kids by herself? Her husband left to fight for our country for the same reasons Tillman did, only he didn't leave a million dollar job, he left because he wanted to provide for his family the best way he knew how. How come stories like those aren't enough to warrant an MTV news special? How come the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, any sports league isn't dedicating their seasons to those men? Do they not deserve that recognition?
Wait, I know the real reason ... none of those people threw on a jersey and played football 17 Sundays out of the year. That’s it … why would they deserve a tribute, I mean, if they didn’t do that then their death’s not worth recognizing right? That’s the impression the news coverage is giving me.
Every fallen soldier deserves the amount of recognition that Pat Tillman is getting ... every single one of them. The Cardinals and the NFL should be dedicating the season to all the fallen men and women, not just that one. Don't hold one's mans death above anothers based on his athletic exploits.
I think I’ve said it 3 times in this article alone, but I’m going to say it again because I don’t want to be mistaken. Pat Tillman is a hero, but he’s not the only one. While I do appreciate the fact that Pat Tillman gave his life for my freedom, I don’t hold his death any higher than those who died before him or those who are bound to die after him for the same cause.
The thing I keep hearing is that Pat Tillman refused media coverage in regards to his actions, he didn’t want it. He thought what he was doing was the right thing … in my mind that’s a noble thing to do. The fact that I hadn’t heard of the man prior to this tragic event proves that he wasn’t a media whore.
Based on that information about him, that he didn’t need the spotlight, that makes me think that Pat Tillman would be sickened to see his death being given more limelight and recognition than anyone elses. I didn't know the man, but the stories being told about him seem to all make me come to that conclusion.
Like I said in the previous paragraph, while I appreciate the fact that Pat Tillman gave his life for my freedom (and always will), I don’t hold his death any higher than those who died before him or those who are bound to die after him for the same cause … if I was a betting man, I’d wager good money that that’s exactly the way Pat Tillman would want people to feel.
