Writing the Pine

I haven’t yet read Andre Agassi’s tell-all saga, but by all accounts it is an incredibly revealing book about his self-destruction into crystal meth addiction, his tumultuous and public relationship (and nasty break-up) with Brooke Shields, and his abusive relationship with his father who trained him as a child. I don’t really care about the specifics of his stories, but I do appreciate how he came forward with the skeletons in his closet when he had absolutely no reason to. No one suspected Agassi of these demons and he was certainly never called out publicly for them.

For most people, making mistakes is a normal part of life. Eventually, we get over them and we put them behind us. But none of us ever think of digging up the graves of past mistakes that’s been buried a lifetime ago. This is what makes Agassi’s decision to come forth with these stories so intriguing. Yes, he may have had the incentive of  a lucrative book deal, but he definitely had more to lose than gain in this situation. He put his image, his reputation, and his legacy on the line with the release of this book. That is all more valuable than whatever money he ends up making off of this.

All athletes should take note of Agassi’s actions and follow suit whenever they find themselves in a situation where they are at a similar crossroads. Agassi handled his situation as a MAN, facing his demons in the face and showing his weaknesses to the world. The public is forgiving to athletes who come forward with personal problems and face them head-on. Imagine if ANY of the baseball players who have been accused of steroid use came forward the way Agassi did. No excuses and no finger-pointing, but a simple revelation about past mistakes. Agassi has definitely earned my respect and admiration for how he has changed his life around and for telling his story to the world. Hopefully, he serve as an example for other athletes who may be in the same situations.