Caleb's Dream Journal

Day 1 - A Fan's Higher Standard
By Caleb Musselman

I have a dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and stop placing athletes on a pedestal that exempts them from the law of common man. Seems simple enough right? If only it were that easy. 

As a child, every kid dreams of greatness. We stood alone in our driveway and practiced buzzer-beating fade-aways and last second free-throws. We ran unmarked post routes and called pass interference on the ghost marking us if we didn't make the TD grab. We toed the rubber and shook off 4 straight signs from our dad before firing a 40 mph heater into his mitt at the local park. These were the days.

About halfway through high school, most of us began to realize it is a bit harder to catch those deep post routes when being marked by a defender of equal skill; tougher to hit those buzzer-beaters when the clock doesn't reset when we miss; more difficult to throw strikes when someone is trying to hit them back at us. It was about that time when we started considering playing collegiate sports and starting realizing we had a better chance of becoming the next PhD than the next MJD. So we slowly started to mature (over the next few years) and think about our futures outside of sports. We thought about what it would look like to raise a family and who we would potentially want to spend our lives with (that is still a fantastic question). In short, we started to grow up.

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Well, there are a select few high school athletes who don't have those same issues. For these elect, they rise above the defender to catch that TD; have the stroke to consistently sink those buzzer beaters; and throw hard enough to make any hitter back up off the plate. These are the ones whose dreams could potentially turn into reality. And believe me, they know it. These phenoms play their sport 365 days out of the year and pour every waking moment into their craft. These players are first the king of their hometown, then they are the king of their college-town.

Now here is my disclaimer: There are many athletes who are exceptional at every aspect of life. In fact, I would argue that the majority of them turn out to be model citizens, but my argument is not about them, rather about the public's perception of them.

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Fast-forward to yesterday. I'm listening to talk radio here in Pittsburgh and the topic falls on Russell Shell. Russell is a stand-out running back who broke nearly every possible record in PA about 3 years ago. Russell played at Pitt for two years where he ran into some trouble. Not achieving the results he was expecting, Russell decided to quit the team and transfer. He'd never faced athletic adversity in his life and quitting was his knee-jerk reaction. Russell searched the nation and after having trouble finding a suitor, he decided he wanted back into Pitt.

When Russell came crawling back to Pitt head coach Paul Chryst, Chyrst didn't even give it a second thought. No thanks, Russell. I wish you the best in your future endeavors.

OH MY GOODNESS. HE DID NOT. HOW COULD YOU TURN AWAY SHELL????!!!!!

A caller's exact words, "He deserves a second chance. He's just a kid."

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Well, Mr. ill-informed Caller, Russell did receive a few different second chances during his time at Pitt. Further, while Mr. Shell might be only 19 years-old, he is no child. In fact, he is a father. Shell is a father of twins. The fact of the matter is that Shell forfeited his childhood when he became a teenage father. While many of us make tough choices in life, it seems only the rich and famous can get away with them. While the 18 year-old working 50 hours a week at McDonald's to support his child is looked down upon as "someone who made a bad decision", Shell is given the get-out-of-jail free card. He's just a kid! Kids make mistakes!

Yes they do. And when kids make big mistakes, they are called into adulthood very quickly. Unfortunately, athletes often have an easy out with there fan bases. This caller put his own hopes and dreams for Pitt football and his own selfishness in front of what is best for the program. His perspective on athletics is not unusual.

The examples are endless. In the NBA, players are often featured on social media at a night club after a big win. 30 year-old men who have young children...at a night club. Is this real life?

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Think about someone else who you look up to. Your boss? Your dad? A political leader? Do you see them hanging out at night clubs after a long day at work? So if they aren't, why do we idolize these men who play a game for a living as a separate entity that can elude the rules on a consistent basis?

There is a colossal difference between malehood and manhood. As a nation the line between the two is quickly becoming blurry. The good Lord chose to make you a male; it is up to each one of us to choose to become a man. Our best and brightest young stars model themselves after the athletes they hope to become. It has always been that way and it won't change any time soon. These same prodigies see that real consequences only come when you are caught in a scandal or charged for murder.

So what is the call to action? The call is pointed at the public. Stop making excuses for your favorite athletes. Stop basing your biases on who is on your fantasy team. Don't buy the jersey of the guy who acts like a spoiled, entitled child on the field. I don't care how fast he is or how many touchdowns he catches. Why? Because whether you realize it or not, you have a similar effect on athletes as they have on you. They desire twitter followers just as much as you do. They want 1 million just as bad as you want 1 thousand. If we continue to make excuses for the foolishness, they are going to keep peeing on the carpet. If we continue to laugh at the ridiculous, they will remain the king of comedy.

If the public establishes a standard, the results will follow. The role models will begin to emerge, and the youth will rise stronger and more prepared to lead. Fans, stand up and be a man. You might be surprised how many males will follow suit.

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