Reading Where
Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer (one of my favorites) – about half way
through and finding it hard to put down.
Very good. Before starting it ran
into some conspiracy theories about Pat Tillman’s death while on YouTube which
I won’t link up to here. Things saying
he was assassinated because of his burgeoning critical views of our involvement
in Afghanistan. Then I went and spent
time on Google Earth looking at that region and then thought of Krakauer’s book
which was never super-interesting when it came out. Oh, and also the football season had hit the
playoffs a few weeks ago when I bought a copy of the text.
Pat Tillman
quit his job in the NFL as a safety/clock-cleaner at the end of the 2001
season, the season during which the Twin Towers were taken down. He was good at what he did. Years ago, during the time when events
transpired that Krak’s book talks about I, as were many, struck by Pat’s decision:
giving up a successful career to go get shot at. After reading the book the decision is
understandable. Turns out he is one of
the most interesting people I have met/read about ever. A super-athlete but also very educated, who
had a will to always learn. He was
always reading something. He was
challenging his mind as he challenged his body with the purpose of staying
sharp. When his dog-owning colleagues
were playing golf in the offseason, the cat-owning Tillman was cliff-jumping,
ice-climbing, running marathons and competing in triathlons.
Why the
appeal of sports? Krakauer says that
Tillman appreciated football for the tremendous workload it demanded. It also provided tangible success, success
achieved among other athletes who are at the top of their games. 9/11 changed the field where meaningful
success may be achieved for Tillman. One
big question with which I am approaching my reading of this book is, Why are
sports so interesting? Is it detrimental
to be in their thrall? Is it okay to
keep sports as an occasionally indulged in pastime?
The reason
for these questions is the critique of sports by those that say sports blind
people to what is going on in society. Chomsky defines sports as
something to divert the attention of the masses so that the world can be run
according to the wishes of the elites. I
won’t argue with him but still I think it is possible to enjoy sports and at
the same time have a critical understanding of the world.
Tillman got
out of sports. In a metaphorical sense
he was sports: sport reflected on what it is to be sports and deciding a change
was necessary. Self-reflection was
nothing new to Tillman – he kept a journal, read a lot and sought out
challenging discussions with people.
After joining the Army he recognized the folly and cynicism behind the
wish to bring democracy to Iraq. The book
starts with the situation that led to his death – by then he was in Afghanistan
on the trail of bin Laden, the mission he joined up for. He was there for personal reasons; personal
reasons that where tied up with reasons pertaining to duty to country.
Krakauer
had access to Pat’s journals. The journal
entries are at times quoted at length and are amazing to read. Tillman wrestled with his decision to join, recognizing
that he joined for principled reasons but also because of a deeper, more
passion-based purpose. These deeper
reasons are the seat of morality for all of us.
Can’t wait
to keep reading.
