Let me say this to start: I’m all for athletes in the public eye who do nice things. That can take many forms, from volunteering at a shelter to delivering gifts to those in need. Where I do get peeved though is when television announcers eulogize an athlete for something trivial, for doing something in the normal course of life that many people do regularly without ever thinking twice.

Case in point: last week during a college football game, the two announcers went on and on and on about what a great thing one of the running backs did before the game by greeting a young fan who was in a wheelchair. Yes, that’s nice. I see others reaching out in many situations to the handicapped. Do they get praised? No.
 
The announcers went back to the incident repeatedly during the broadcast. You would think the running back had developed a steady renewable energy source to solve the world’s energy needs for all the praise they directed his way. HEY, HE DID A GOOD THING. Nice to point it out. Let’s move on.
 
The amount of time spent focusing on this good deed astounded me. Was it because the announcers felt athletes get a bad rap and never help others? Did they find this to be unusual? Was it just a touching moment and they wanted to publicize it? I don’t know. All I know is they WAY overdid it.
 
The initial recognition of the nice gesture is certainly something to touch on. “Hey folks, check out this interaction in the tunnel before the game today.” Show the clip. Say something supportive. Move on. Let us draw what we want from the action.
 
The praise was so disproportionate to the gesture (IMHO) that it turned me off to the positive side of what occurred. The announcers became the coverage, almost stumbling over each other seeing who could say more nice things than the other guy.
 
Their vocal support started, then they went back to game coverage, then they returned to say more about the greeting, then they returned to game coverage, then found a clip of the running back and handicapped kid and showed the interaction and they re-upped their solicitous remarks.
 
I imagine the running back didn’t think twice about what he did. He’s a decent person, probably likes kids, saw the kid in the wheelchair, said “hi,” shook his hand, gave him a high five, chatted a bit and moved on. He probably made the kid’s day. Maybe made his week. Nice to see and hear.
 
I believe much of the “over-the-top praise” came from the announcers figuring people think athletes in the public eye don’t have a conscience or don’t care about anything other than their performance. As a response, they over-did it. Where they get it wrong is that every athlete has that human side. They have all the emotions we do. Some care, some don’t. Some are jerks, most are probably darn good people, just like the rest of us. Impressions become reality for must of us, and a bad incident with a big-time athlete sours many on athletes in general.
 
While not fair to the athletes, since we heap them into a category based on assumptions and snippets of incidents and information, it is the way we form our opinions. The announcers operated from their background and biases.
 
I’ll leave you with a quick story. Seven years ago I worked with a group of former professional athletes, mostly ex-NFL players, but several from other sports. There were 40-50 in this group, seeking jobs after their careers were cut short after a year or three in the pros by injury or just not making the cut. To a person, everyone of those we worked with to help them prepare for employment outside of the arena was open, respectful, wanted to figure out how to best present themselves, write a resume, interview effectively. They put their best foot forward, they listened, they took constructive feedback graciously.
 
They all opened my eyes to their world and how we get often get in wrong in our perceptions of them. There is much kindness and graciousness and caring out there. You have to pay attention though and look below the surface.

​Over the past couple of years, my wife and I have watched a number of detective/mystery series that originate outside the U.S. She started a trend years ago, spending time enjoying British “who done it” shows, and last year I decided to give it a whirl with her. I’m glad I did.
 
There’s something about seeing sights from other countries, hearing a new accent, seeing scenes from directors/writers/producers from a non-U.S.-centric perspective that is incredibly refreshing. After a point, you realize you’ve burned out on the slam, bam, shoot-em-up, fighting, action scene, car chasing, gun shooting programs prevalent in the U.S. The U.S. shows are quick cut, quick cut, hammer you with violence, trying to keep you engaged through mass image changes, rather than an involved and thoughtful plot.
 
It took awhile for this to come to me. When we first explored these shows from other countries together, the first came from Australia. What quickly stood out was that it was a multi-episode show that resolved at the end. It was an ongoing plot to continue from episode to episode. That forced you to mentally stay with the characters throughout as they developed as the show evolved over the weeks.
 
You dug into the nuance of character development, picking up bits of Aussie culture and lingo, scenery and character interactions. There was much more “mental” action than there was “physical” action. As a viewer, you were forced to engage intensely to follow the plot and figure out what might come next. That’s the fun part.
 
We moved on from that to a New Zealand cop series in a small town, “Brokenwood.” It didn’t take long to become endeared with several of the characters, the dry wit, silly and obscure behaviors and a humorous take on small town life different than you experience in the U.S. We became addicted and watched all eight seasons. Like any show you watch a lot, it did lose some spunk at the end, but hey, that’s okay.
 
We explored north from there, heading towards Norway, Scotland and Iceland to razor in on the action there. “Hinterland,” “Loch Ness,” and a couple of other shows kept us tightly focused for months as we grew to connect with various characters, landscapes and plot lines.
 
The more we got more engrossed with these shows, the less appealing U.S. dramas became. The change was subtle, but strong. Guns are rarely used as the resolution in the non-U.S. shows. When I would watch a U.S. drama after we started this exploration, I couldn’t believe how much I was overwhelmed by gun action, police charging in houses with weapons prominently drawn, trying to increase the intensity and drama through bullets flying, people falling, blood splattering.
 
Also quite evident was the lack of car chase scenes in the foreign shows. You realize how much car chase scenes are used as filler to divert you from the lack of a plot.
 
And, the more you watched non-U.S. shows, the more you realized how quick cuts are repeatedly used in U.S. dramas to simulate something happening. The foreign shows fully developed the characters and plot, showing through action, long panning shots and the quiet build-up of suspense to keep you on edge. They gave you a sense of place, as well.
 
The last series we finished had a couple of scenes with the camera behind the detective, where you kept thinking someone would jump him, start a fight, choke him, whatever. It never happened. Instead, you got nervous, like waiting for someone to jump out of the closet, and the suspense built, and the plot got resolved through other means. It was way more intense than a gun, fist or knife fight.
 
Finishing up the last show, we’re now deciding on our next series to help us explore another country. Can’t wait.

​Is it true that going on vacation makes you feel better physically because you are more relaxed and away from the stresses of our daily routines? When you partake in a physical activity (like golf) with old friends who you haven’t seen in a long time, is it true that you tend to play better because you feel the warmth of their friendship and you hit the ball better and more consistently?
 
Who knows the answer to either of these questions? The results aren’t data-driven. There are no statistics to tabulate, no machine to run the numbers to prove “yes” or “no.” All we’ve got is our gut and emotions to tell us that our mindset or health improves in certain environments based on how we feel.
 
The answer to both questions, in my book, is “yes.” I based that on personal observation and experience.
 
For example, a number of years back I was dealing with regular calf muscle strains and cramps. Running regularly, I would pull up lame and limp home. There were periods I could run my normal routes, then suddenly everything would lock up.
 
During that time, I went on a vacation to California to catch up with college buddies I had not seen in a few years. Change of scenery. Change of climate. Hanging out with friends.
 
I went jogging twice in the hills that surrounded my friend’s home. The air was dry, the sky cloudless, the smells of the desert wafting through your nose. I felt super.

Nothing hurt. I ran hard, faster and longer than I would have back home. My energy level rose.
 
Maybe it was the weather or atmosphere, who knows? And that’s what makes proving any of these ideas improbable – you can’t quantify all the variables. Can you specifically target what it is that causes these improvements in your mood or physical sensations?
 
This past summer I played golf fairly regularly, once or twice a week. The scores are irrelevant, other than to note how irregular and inconsistent my game was. Good shot, bad shot. Decent round, horrible round. Something would work, then it wouldn’t.

One can argue that this is typical of golf (even for the pros), and about life in general. There are ups and downs. Good days and bad ones. You roll with the bad, figure out what you did wrong and try to fix it. The good days you revel in.
 
A couple of months back, I went to a golf reunion with buddies I’d played softball with 45 years ago. Stepping on the course there was a transformation, a relaxed state that took over my game. I played with one of my closest friends from that period of my life, and shots on the course came effortlessly, going where I wanted them to go, adding extra distance and direction to most that I hit.
 
Was this because you return to a time in your life that things were simpler, you don’t have to think as much and you just hit the ball? Who knows?
 
Data will not prove what relaxes you mentally and emotionally. Statistics can’t demonstrate “what” improved your golf game or made you run faster. But I do know that ridding yourself of worries, seeing friends and breaking from your routine are all healthy for the spirit.