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Let us assume, for purpose of argument, that Tonya Harding conspired with her ex-husband, her bodyguard and assorted other low-life scum in a plot to maim Nancy Kerrigan, her rival for a gold medal in the figure-skating competition at the Winter Olympics next month.
If we accept that assertion, then most people will argue that Harding is not fit to represent the United States in the Olympics.
But what could be more representative of real American
ideals -- the ideals we actually practice, rather than the
ideals we pretend we have -- than someone who has
demonstrated that she will triumph by any means
necessary
?
After all, this is the land of Ivan Boesky, John D.
Rockefeller, John Chivington, Lt. William Calley, Curtis
Lemay -- men who never gave up when the chips were down,
but used their good old American gumption to find a way to
win, even if their route to victory didn't conform to naive
and idealistic notions of fair play
or good
sportsmanship
or minimizing civilian
casualties.
You could argue that they were capitalists or military commanders, and those realms are quite different from the noble arena of sports.
But in a few weeks, the National Football League will
award a trophy to the winner of the Superbowl. The trophy
is named for Vince Lombardi, the man who said Winning
isn't everything. Winning is the only thing.
That honored noble sentiment demonstrates that the sporting world is part of the real world, and the Olympics -- a function of big-money television ratings for the past 40 years, and lately a venue for avowedly professional athletes -- aren't any different.
After all, didn't we send a basketball team to Barcelona in 1992? A team that couldn't agree on what warm-up suits to wear to the awards stand because of conflicting commercial endorsement contracts? Were they representing America, or Nike and Adidas and the highest bidder?
For a figure skater, an Olympic gold medal is worth perhaps $10 million in endorsement money, also from the highest bidder. For considerably less money, people have committed considerably worse crimes than knee-capping a rival.
Why the big money in figure-skating? Because we'll buy cereal with an ice-skater's graven image, while boxes bearing the endorsement the world champion in horse-shoe pitching or caber-tossing would rot on the shelves.
At any rate, American commerce has created a system with huge financial rewards for people who can attain fame, and the ensuing rewards don't necessary connect with the talents that produced the notoriety -- that is, the best way to land a seven-figure book advance is not to hone your skills as a writer, but to be a controversial tennis player or a serial killer.
As a soft-hearted soul, I hope that Tonya Harding had nothing to do with the sordid plot against Nancy Kerrigan. But even if she master-minded the scheme -- especially if she master-minded it -- then she's a perfect representative of American culture, and she ought to be waving the stars and strips in Norway next month.
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