Although it was the Etruscans who first introduced gladiatorial games to the civilized world, it would be the Romans who would give greatest expression to this form of entertainment.
The first record of gladiator combat took place in 264 BCE. It was staged by Decimus Junius Brutus Scaeva to honor the death of his father.
For the next 450 years gladiators would occupy the central stage of Roman cultrual entertainment. The contestants were recruited from the ranks of slaves, criminals, conquered peoples and Legionnaires… the warriors of Rome. They were pitted against each other in pairs, in combinations and against animals. While injury and death were part and parcel of this activity, it was not the design to kill off prized property.
That is what gladiators were… property. Property of wealthy free citizens of Rome. Gladiators would learn their craft in carefully organized and funded schools… learning their skills from retired gladiators. They would be pampered… well fed, groomed… treated to wine and women.
And on the day they entered the dusty ground of the Coliseum they would do so to a chorus of cheers. Admired for their physical form, admired for their bravery… shouts and cheers to feed the Roman lust for violence.
Death was sometimes the end… and even to the survivors they would retreat to receive the best medical attention of the day, to prepare for future contests.
The staged combat in present day arenas and coliseums in the form of football bears striking similarities to gladiatorial combat of legend and lore.
Hard plastic and pad have replaced metal shield and helmet… and while death is ultimately rare, injury is not. And for 16 Sundays in the year, we gather as the Free Citizens of Rome did, to cheer and become rabid in our lust for violence.
Perhaps we should expect the behavior of the contestants to mirror that of the citizenry. Here is a Free Citizen, fueled by copious amounts of beer, stripped to the waist in 25 degree weather, body painted half in red and half in blue, a clown wig in electric colours as well, shouting profanities & if necessary, to punctuate his opinion, hurling a container of his brew in the direction of an official of the game, or at an opposing player…
So no surprise when a player carries on in a similar vein. Mini demonstrations staged to satisfy the lust of the Free Citizens.
But this is not Rome. Or so I tell my self. And the excesses of behavior, on and off the field, are just that… excesses. And if you are going to show something on television, and then replay it… and then replay it again. What are you going to choose? Randy Moss scoring a TD and then standing in the endzone, pretending to drop his pants to moon the Greenbay hometown crowd? Or perhaps we’ll replay Tiki Barber scoring a TD, picking himself off the turf and handing the ball to the Official? What makes better entertainment?
How many times on ESPN do you think they replayed Moss’ moon? How many times do you think they replayed Barber giving the ball back to the Official?
Maybe that’s why Tiki Barber’s retirement from the game of football will warrant little more than a blink from an audience that applauds glitz and glitter… an audience that puts showmanship above sportsmanship.
For those who don’t know me… I am a Colts fan of old… stretching back to the “Johnny U” days in Baltimore. But I have enjoyed following the good Giants teams under Parcells. Harry Carson and John Mendenhall were my favorites… and who could deny Lawrence Taylor’s excellence?
But there are few players who I have enjoyed watching today more than Tiki Barber. Against my Colts he “touched” the ball 23 times: 18 times rushing the ball for 110 yds (a fat 6.1 average) and 5 receptions for another 61 yards. He finished fourth in the league in rushing. This year’s rushing champion and this year’s MVP, LaDainian Tomlinson (being hailed as a combination Michael Jordan/Wayne Gretsky/Tiger Woods) is an outstanding back but his numbers this year weren’t as good as Tiki Barber’s last year.
I am really sorry to see Tiki retire. He is such a good back. I loved watching him play. I loved his expression… he loved to compete… he was proud to compete. And if he took a good lick, he was quick to praise his adversary with a pat on the helmet. He played the sport pure. No chippiness. He respected the sport, he respected his teammates, he respected his adversaries… he gave his all on every down.
He played the game the way it was meant to be played.
The Giants came up short against the Eagles in their bid to advance further in the play-offs. On Tiki’s way back to the locker room for the last time, helmet in hand, baseball cap on his clean shaven head, Brian Dawkins, All-Pro Defensive Back for the Eagles sought him out, shook his hand and paid him the ultimate acknowledgement of honor and respect, “You were a warrior.”
HE PLAYED THE GAME
Although it was the Etruscans who first introduced gladiatorial games to the civilized world, it would be the Romans who would give greatest expression to this form of entertainment.
The first record of gladiator combat took place in 264 BCE. It was staged by Decimus Junius Brutus Scaeva to honor the death of his father.
For the next 450 years gladiators would occupy the central stage of Roman cultrual entertainment. The contestants were recruited from the ranks of slaves, criminals, conquered peoples and Legionnaires… the warriors of Rome. They were pitted against each other in pairs, in combinations and against animals. While injury and death were part and parcel of this activity, it was not the design to kill off prized property.
That is what gladiators were… property. Property of wealthy free citizens of Rome. Gladiators would learn their craft in carefully organized and funded schools… learning their skills from retired gladiators. They would be pampered… well fed, groomed… treated to wine and women.
And on the day they entered the dusty ground of the Coliseum they would do so to a chorus of cheers. Admired for their physical form, admired for their bravery… shouts and cheers to feed the Roman lust for violence.
Death was sometimes the end… and even to the survivors they would retreat to receive the best medical attention of the day, to prepare for future contests.
The staged combat in present day arenas and coliseums in the form of football bears striking similarities to gladiatorial combat of legend and lore.
Hard plastic and pad have replaced metal shield and helmet… and while death is ultimately rare, injury is not. And for 16 Sundays in the year, we gather as the Free Citizens of Rome did, to cheer and become rabid in our lust for violence.
Perhaps we should expect the behavior of the contestants to mirror that of the citizenry. Here is a Free Citizen, fueled by copious amounts of beer, stripped to the waist in 25 degree weather, body painted half in red and half in blue, a clown wig in electric colours as well, shouting profanities & if necessary, to punctuate his opinion, hurling a container of his brew in the direction of an official of the game, or at an opposing player…
So no surprise when a player carries on in a similar vein. Mini demonstrations staged to satisfy the lust of the Free Citizens.
But this is not Rome. Or so I tell my self. And the excesses of behavior, on and off the field, are just that… excesses. And if you are going to show something on television, and then replay it… and then replay it again. What are you going to choose? Randy Moss scoring a TD and then standing in the endzone, pretending to drop his pants to moon the Greenbay hometown crowd? Or perhaps we’ll replay Tiki Barber scoring a TD, picking himself off the turf and handing the ball to the Official? What makes better entertainment?
How many times on ESPN do you think they replayed Moss’ moon? How many times do you think they replayed Barber giving the ball back to the Official?
Maybe that’s why Tiki Barber’s retirement from the game of football will warrant little more than a blink from an audience that applauds glitz and glitter… an audience that puts showmanship above sportsmanship.
For those who know me… I am a Colts fan of old… stretching back to the “Johnny U” days in Baltimore. But I have enjoyed following the good Giants teams under Parcells. Harry Carson and John Mendenhall were my favorites… and who could deny Lawrence Taylor’s excellence?
But there are few players who I have enjoyed watching today more than Tiki Barber. Against my Colts he “touched” the ball 23 times: 18 times rushing the ball for 110 yds (a fat 6.1 average) and 5 receptions for another 61 yards. He finished fourth in the league in rushing. This year’s rushing champion and this year’s MVP, LaDainian Tomlinson (being hailed as a combination Michael Jordan/Wayne Gretsky/Tiger Woods) is an outstanding back but his numbers this year weren’t as good as Tiki Barber’s last year.
I am really sorry to see Tiki retire. He is such a good back. I loved watching him play. I loved his expression… he loved to compete… he was proud to compete. And if he took a good lick, he was quick to praise his adversary with a pat on the helmet. He played the sport pure. No chippiness. He respected the sport, he respected his teammates, he respected his adversaries… he gave his all on every down.
He played the game the way it was meant to be played.
The Giants came up short against the Eagles in their bid to advance further in the play-offs. On Tiki’s way back to the locker room for the last time, helmet in hand, baseball cap on his clean shaven head, Brian Dawkins, All-Pro Defensive Back for the Eagles sought him out, shook his hand and paid him the ultimate acknowledgement of honor and respect, “You were a warrior.”