![]() Though he was neither player or manager, his consistently polite manner and positive attitude soothed and inspired the listener, no matter the outcome of the game. I then remembered those summer nights my family spent listening to Scully’s smooth voice as he lyrically described the action on the ball field, recalling his sense of civility and the uplifting nature of his delivery. As much as I admired Scully for his superior broadcasting skills (he is generally considered to be the greatest sports announcer of all time), my initial reaction was to ponder the question, “Can a radio announcer be considered a hero?” ![]() Though he has long been considered an LA institution, I didn’t expect to see him on the list. While scrolling down the list, however, I caught the name of one more sports figure associated with Los Angeles-Vin Scully, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ long time radio and TV broadcaster (a total of sixty-seven seasons). In West, Wooden and Jabbar, we saw that certain bedrock, foundational ideals like hard work, humility, coolness under pressure, and teamwork mattered. Such individuals were invaluable at a time when our society openly challenged many traditional American values and assumptions. In the midst of the tumultuous late 1960s and early 1970s, these Los Angeles sports legends provided a reassuring sense of excellence, class and civility for both kids and adults. As a Baby Boomer who grew up in the Los Angeles area, I was pleased to see the names of Jerry West, John Wooden and Kareem Abdul Jabbar on the list. The number of athletes on the list is what ultimately got my attention (a total of thirty-three), though understanding the prominence of sports in our society readily explains why such is the case. What I normally considered as the bestowing of a prestigious honor, in this particular instance I viewed as nothing more than an inappropriate Trumpian homage to those things he values most-buffoonery, bombast, bullying and the pursuit of divisiveness. I interpreted the president’s action as a highly partisan and provocative one. But in reviewing the list of previous Medal of Freedom recipients, I unexpectedly discovered that one other recipient who made his living behind a microphone best exemplifies what is wrong with Limbaugh getting this award. Hence, I want to regard his selection as an anomaly-the product of cynical political motives.įurthermore, I initially questioned the premise that an individual who makes his living talking into a microphone could be considered as any kind of hero. Seeing him as nothing more than a loud-mouth political hack, I don’t want to believe someone like him in any way typifies the best of our society’s culture. President Donald Trump’s awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to controversial conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh recently caused me to seriously reflect upon that old adage.Īssuming that Medal of Freedom recipients are worthy of hero status, I found Limbaugh’s award alarming. Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia CommonsĪs a high school English literature teacher, I often reminded my students that a hero is admired because he or she embodies the ideals of a society’s culture.
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