Does Anyone Deserve a Statue?
Who deserves a statue?
There are some obvious answers, of course. Former presidents, activists, war heroes, and so on. Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, whoever invented copy and paste, all of those famous heroes.
But I want you to really think about it for a second. It’s not just those heroes who deserve statues, is it? Musicians and actors are counted among the meritorious as well. Michael Jackson, Oscar Wilde, and Judy Garland all have statues, too. More artisans fall among their ranks: Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Olga Desmond, more writers and artists!
…Is that it, then? Anyone with significant accomplishments deserves a statue?
Well, if we’re going to be talking about accomplishments, then a select number of people have to be mentioned. A select group of people who specialize in various activities, like chasing a ball around a field, throwing a baseball faster than the speed of light, or, yes, swimming in a synchronized fashion.
I’m talking about athletes, those bigger than life superstars that have their own billboards. The question stands: Should athletes be receiving things like statues for physical accomplishments in their respective sports?
Why don’t we take a look?
Not too long ago, only a select few people who were either very lucky during the gene pool card draw or very, very hardworking could become famous athletes. If you had a disability that stopped you from being able to move around properly or something of the like, forget about it!
Fortunately, in more recent times, everyone can have a chance to play. For instance, people in wheelchairs have their own basketball leagues, and believe me when I say that they play good.
It’s still not entirely holistic now, however. They say anyone can play and do great in any sport. While that may be true, if you rolled well in character creation, you just simply have an advantage. If you’re tall, you’re just going to do better in basketball. If you’ve got good hands and feet, you’re going to be good at swimming. And the fact still stands that everyone still has their good and bad days.
Sure, maybe some athletes deserve trophies. Maybe some of them have used all the money they’ve gained for charitable causes. Many of them worked really, really hard. But plenty just get to where they are because they’re plain lucky. And it’s impossible to sort through the lucky ones and the people who’ve poured tons of effort into their sports.
Either everyone deserves a trophy, or no one does.
