Monday Night Romance: Waiting for the NFL to do the right thing
It's time for another edition of Monday Night Romance, where romance author Tracy Solheim and book blogger Kim Lowe dish about football stats, romance novels and pop culture for the football fan and football widow alike. Tracy is the bestselling author of the Out of Bounds series, featuring the fictional Baltimore Blaze football team. Kim lives near Baltimore — home of two-time Super Bowl champion Ravens — and she appreciates Tracy's Alpha heroes — especially the ones in football pants and pads.
It seems that the bloom is off the proverbial romance in the NFL right now. In addition to being writers, both Kim and Tracy are wives and mothers, so the issues that have embroiled the league in controversy are ones that they are discussing around their own dinner tables. One of the most important questions for parents right now is whether athletes make good role models.
Tracy: In 1993, basketball player Charles Barkley appeared in a commercial for Nike emphatically stating that he was NOT a role model and that he didn't get paid to be one. While Sir Charles and I disagree on most everything, on this, I must agree with him. He says in the commercial that parents should be the role models. Nice thought. I would rather my children model themselves after their father's and my behavior rather than some superstar stranger. BUT, what are those children whose parents aren't appropriate role models supposed to do? Is it OK to look up to an NFL player? Yes, because the majority of people involved in the NFL and professional sports don't hit women or children. How do I know this? Because the NFL is a small microcosm of society as a whole — albeit a very wealthy and more brutal one. While abuse exists in society, it is not the norm and it shouldn't be allowed to occur on or off the field.
Kim: I have mixed feelings on this. On the surface, I would agree with Sir Charles that he is not paid to be a role model (what may have been questionable in 1993 is tame by today's standards). Yet Sir Charles is a public figure in a democratic society. He has the freedom to act as he will so long as it does not break the law. Freedom is only preserved by the voluntary behavior that fosters life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If we want to just say no to drugs, discrimination and domestic violence, then we must see our public figures lead by example.
Tracy: As a writer, I can weigh my athlete hero down with a host of problems and let him rise from the turf to get his happily ever after. Whether that happens to Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and the other players named in this growing scandal remains to be seen. But the game itself will continue on. It is, after all, a billion-dollar industry. In the meantime, there are lots of great fall reads coming out. I'm especially looking forward to heading up to the Green Mountains of Vermont this fall by way of Marie Force's I Saw Her Standing There. Hey, if I can't get to New England to enjoy the foliage, it's the next best thing, right? Or maybe I'll head over to the Copper Mountains in Marietta, Montana, for the rodeo, courtesy of Montana Born Books. Either way, I'm assured a nice relaxing autumnal-themed read. The next best thing to football, of course!
Kim: I appreciate your analogy that fictional heroes can bear the weight of Atlas but still do the right thing. I challenge athletes to live like they appreciate the patriotic spirit that comes when we sing along to the National Anthem; we cheer when the fighter formation flies over the stadium; and we wave to the soldiers watching the game in Afghanistan. In between football, Scouts, and the Maryland Renaissance Festival, I look forward to reading Cathy Maxwell's upcoming release, The Groom Says Yes, book three in her Scottish Regency series, The Brides of Wishmore. I loved the pictures of you with Cathy at the Decatur Book Festival.
The discussion continues at Kim's book blog, SOS Aloha, sosaloha.blogspot.com, with a special giveaway from Tracy. Tracy Solheim is an avid sports fan who writes football-themed romance for Berkley Sensation. See what she's up to at www.tracysolheim.com.