Writing the Pine

Time Magazine came out with their 100 Most Influential People list and it’s always a point of controversy among people who have nothing better to do with their time.  So let me throw my hat in the ring.  I have to qualify though that I’ll only be commenting on the sports figures since that’s my area of “expertise” and by “expertise” I mean this is a sports blog.

I’ve always wondered how one became a Most Influential Person, especially when it came to athletes.  Time says the list is not about the influence of power but the power of influence.  That’s a nice play on words but it doesn’t really help me understand what goes into the selections.  Fortunately, they go on to say that it’s about people who are changing the world through their ideas and actions.  In the world of athletics, it’s about those who, as they say, transcend the sport.  So basically it’s for Tiger Woods and back in the day, Michael Jordan; athletes who are not only the obvious best at their sport but more importantly, the most marketed.  You couldn’t have Tiger on the list every year though (especially not this year) no matter how much he deserves it because that would be boring.  That would be like having Oprah on the list every year (oh wait).

(The influence of an athlete is a tricky thing too.  There’s no doubt athletes are influential.  God knows sports affected my life growing up and sadly, still does today.  But how are athletes influential?  And is it for better or for worse?  For example, did Michael Jordan show children that with hard work and perseverence, you can achieve anything?  Or did he lead too many children to unreasonably believe that professional athletics is your ticket to fame and fortune?  One could argue the latter and in my opinion, would have a better argument, but that’s something perhaps I’ll get into at another time.)

I could waste more time wondering what makes someone influential and how the folks at Time came about their list (which I actually did) but that would be pointless since everyone has their own definition of what influential is.  So let me just look at the five athletes Time chose for 2010.

It’s impossible to fathom the pressure that Kim Yu-Na was feeling during her two performances at the Vancouver Games.  She came in as the heavy favorite in the showcase event of the Olympics.  And oh yeah, all of her compatriots, who anointed her their “Queen,” expected a gold medal as well.  With the entire weight of South Korea’s hopes and dreams resting on her 19 year-old shoulders, she turned in two virtuoso performances that resulted in her official coronation.  After she won the gold medal, I even gave a personal account of how she affected my own life.  To also put her influence in perspective, stock market activity in Korea dropped to half its normal level during her performances.  And did I mention her nickname is “Queen”?  I know I gave you that crap about everyone having their own definition, but if that’s not influential, I don’t know what is.

Similar to the way Kim represented her country, Didier Drogba will as well in this summer’s World Cup when he suits up for the Ivory Coast National Team.  While the Ivorians are not coming in as favorites (they are #27 in the current FIFA rankings), they are still expected to put up a good showing with Drogba leading the way.  I will admit I don’t know too much about the guy, except that he plays for Chelsea, is a manchild on the pitch, and is a fan of the NBA, so it was refreshing to read about his philanthropic efforts.  He’s a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme and recently donated his entire Pepsi endorsement fee (about $4.6M) to build a hospital in his hometown.  Now I’m sure a big reason he was chosen was because of the World Cup being held in Africa this year but he seems to fall in line with what Time’s list is all about.

When I came to the short essay on Sachin Tendulkar, I stopped after reading he was an Indian cricket player.  I immediately messaged Anish, an Indian friend of mine and told him that an Indian cricket player was on Time’s Most Influential List.  “Probably Sachin Tendulkar,” he said.  After Anish said that, it was evident this guy should be on the list.  He’s the world’s best player in the world’s second-most popular sport in the world’s second-most populated country.  He has a million cricket records and is a living (and playing) legend in the sport.  I did some more research on him and I knew he was big-time when I saw his Wikipedia page had 15 sections.  Barack Obama’s only has 11.  He’s also the only athlete in India’s history to be honored with the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second highest civilian award (I’m not counting the chess guy who won it before him).  It’s interesting to point out that Tendulkar’s essay was written by Deepak Chopra, a physician, best-selling author and influential figure in his own right.  All the other athletes on the list had their essays written by fellow athletes or in Drogba’s case, someone who doesn’t even have his own Wiki page.  My only beef with Tendulkar’s selection is that he probably should’ve been on this list in the past and I wonder what made Time put him on in 2010.

I realize it’s much easier to nominate influential athletes in countries besides the United States.  We’re spoiled here in America by all the incredible athletes that we get to see on an everyday basis.  My roommate Kenny said to me Kim Yu-Na is probably the greatest Korean athlete I’ll ever see in my lifetime, and definitely the greatest to date.  What about the greatest American athlete?  Tiger Woods?  Jim Brown?  Michael Jordan?  Muhammad Ali?  Babe Ruth?  Bo Jackson?  LeBron James?  There are hundreds of choices.  So with that said, it might be a little unfair for me to disagree with the selection of Serena Williams and to a lesser extent, Phil Mickelson.  Let me start with Lefty.  Now he’s been around for a while so like with Tendulkar, maybe I’m just wondering why he wasn’t on the list before.  I’m thinking he only made the cut (no pun intended) because of his emotional Masters victory that came with both his mother and wife battling breast cancer.  To me, it seemed like that was the only reason he was on the list.  But Young pointed out that with Tiger having to hide in the woods (pun intended) these past few months, Mickelson has come to be golf’s “savior” and may have taken over as the game’s most popular player.  And he seems like a genuinely good guy and has always been a class act so I can buy that.  My bigger beef is with Serena’s inclusion.  The most memorable moment I have of her this past year was her berating a helpless line judge for screwing up a call.  She was roundly criticized for her actions and ultimately fined by the USTA.  Don’t get me wrong, I love all her charity work and recognize the good she’s brought to the sport and to young girls around the world.  For this year at least, I just don’t see how she compares to the other athletes on the list.  She is definitely a case of should’ve been on the list earlier.  I personally thought Drew Brees would’ve been a better choice.  He was Super Bowl MVP and hero to a city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.  He does tons of charity work and like Drogba, seems to embody what Time’s list is all about.  I just hope the Madden Curse doesn’t bite him and he’ll be on the list next year.