Are there any enaging stars anymore?

This week I have seen a reminder of how things have changed in this world and not for the better. It all came full circle when I heard former Detroit Tiger Mark Fidrych passed away Monday due to an unfortunate accident with his truck. Friday was the last round of the Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia for Gary Player and Fuzzy Zoeller. These two players had a few things in common. They both have engaging personalities and are past champions of the Masters. They both realize their role and that is to entertain the people – the people who made them famous.

Gary Player, from South Africa, was Tiger Woods well before Tiger’s parents were even married. Player was the first preeminent international stars outside of the US and Europe. He was bringing the sports to ends of the earth not even thought possible to even adopt the game, whether it be South America, South Africa, or Australia. He is now 74 years old and is in better shape than most people my age. The most important thing to know about Gary Player though was he realized that without a fan base, the sport could not grow. If fans were not entertained, golf growth would stay stagnant and even Player’s prosperity would not go anywhere. He was always someone who played to the crowd whether it be his engaging personality or unique shot making when a challenge was sitting in front of him. Player is as responsible as anyone with where golf is today in the world’s forefront as anyone in my humble opinion.

Another man who is thought to be finishing his last Masters was Fuzzy Zoeller. His name alone points out that he is someone that plays to the fans. That is exactly the case during his entire career. Zoeller though got hit hard by the politically correctness of the day ten years ago. Tiger Woods was in the process of winning his first Masters and as is tradition, the champion at the Champions dinner the following year gets to pick the menu. Zoeller joked that Tiger would pick fried chicken and collard greens – typically favorites for African Americans. This was a joke but a good one as he lost some sponsorships and friends in the meantime. Those who knew Zoeller realized he made a mistake and meant zero malice by them. Anyone who had watched his career and his empathy for people he knew and did not know alike knew it to be very true. He has always talked to the people in the crowd during a round and much liked Player knew that the fans were the most important thing to the sport. Despite his unfortunate and untimely commentary, Zoeller has regained much of his sponsorship and admiration by the game which is well deserved for sure. For many years, he was kind of lost in the whole sport because of that one moment and stifling one of golf’s best ambassadors.

Monday, we lost a great ambassador for baseball when Mark Fidrych died suddenly due to a mishap with his truck he was fixing that day. Mark was known for being one of the most unusual personalities to step foot on the baseball field. He took the baseball world, and the world as a whole for that matter, in 1976 when he went north with the rest of Detroit Tigers. HE would go on to have one of the most memorable seasons stat wise as well as just plain story wise. He would talk to the baseball when he was on the mound and did plenty of things that separated him from the crowd. He would end up starting the All Star game that season and pack Tiger Stadium every time he took the mound. His career would be cut short and would be out of baseball by 1981. His career though was him entertaining the people in a sports arena.

After I started thinking about it, these three athletes represent a dying age in sports. We no longer are entertained by Sports Stars. Sure Tiger Woods is a great golfer and we will tune in when he is playing well but there is nothing captivating from a personality stand point. This is for sure the case with the rest of golf unless you count the always bombastic John Daly who despite his terrible performance over the past few years does draw big crowds despite not playing often.

The NBA is suffering from the same issues. Sure you have Lebron James but do you think he is 1% as charismatic as say Magic Johnson was considered back in 1988. Please don’t tell me you think this is the case. Magic wowed fans as well as his opponents whether it be the moves or just the sheer enjoyment of playing the game. The game could have been a meaningless middle of the season game but Magic was still out there smiling having fun.

I would challenge the casual baseball fan to name three players they would pay money to go see. Some might say Alex Rodriguez and a few random names but all in all, baseball lacks that star that is engaging with fans and not just on an international platform.

Finish, sports stars are getting more money than ever before but I would argue they are not necessarily as engaging as they have been in the past. Whether it be the fact they are guarded or just completely disconnected with “Joe Fan”, I do not know the answer to the question. One thing is for sure though – we are missing such characters as the Bird, Gary Player, Fuzzy, and Magic.