There’s a scene in the movie “Jerry Maguire,” at the outset of the central character’s emotional unraveling, when a basketball star refuses to sign an autograph for a young fan.
“Sorry, little fella,” former real-life NBA player Brent Barry (“Calvin Nack”) says when a boy hands him a trading card to sign. “I can’t sign this brand of card. Only Pro Jam Blue Dot cards.”
I’ve never witnessed the “Only Pro Jam Blue Dot Cards” excuse. I’ve witnessed enough other things like it. The flat out, “No, I’m too busy.” Or, “I’ll be right back” (and, of course, they don’t come back). Or, “I have to get to a meeting” (when they actually just want to get to their car). It’s common for some to take certain walking routes on a field or to and from a parking lot to avoid areas where fans congregate.
All athletes aren’t this way. Actually, I’ve sensed a turnaround by some, fueled in part by the backlash against paid autograph signings. But enough prima donnas still exist to make you wonder: What’s the big deal?
I just timed myself signing an autograph. It took 3.7 seconds for my full name. So if I carved out 15 minutes for fans, I could sign 243 autographs. That assumes I could find 243 fans. As it turns out, I don’t need 15 minutes.
I’ve been fortunate in my life. I’ve never really cared about autographs. I waited with others for Muhammad Ali’s at a fundraiser because he was such an historical figure. I asked Jimmy Carter for his because he was a U.S. president, and he also happened to be sitting in the row in front of me on an airplane. Truth is, I don’t know where either of those autographs are today.
But having grown up in celebrity-filled Los Angeles, where sons and daughters of Hollywood stars were classmates, and working in a field where hero-worship isn’t conducive to doing your job, I’ve never been in awe of anybody enough to ask for an autograph.
The only two people in my life I was nervous about meeting were Sandy Koufax and Jim Murray. I didn’t need their autograph. I was just happy to say hello to them without throwing up on them.
Athletes are celebrities. Those who enter the life at a professional level must understand that if they’re going to embrace the wealth and adoration that goes with being on a pedestal, they can’t stiff-arm those who help create the aforementioned wealth and adoration.
That shouldn’t be a difficult lesson to learn. If it is, maybe they should think back to a time when they were the one holding out something to sign.
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