On Sunday, Baylor University in Waco, Texas, erected a statue of one its football greats outside of McLane Stadium.
Now you maybe asking yourself why this made the news. Universities around the nation erect statues of legendary athletes, usually football players all of the time. Alabama has the statue of Bear Bryant, Boston University has one of Doug Flutie, Auburn erected one of Bo Jackson, etc.
So why is the one at McLane Stadium different? The reason it is that the player being commemorated is Robert Griffin III (RG3) who is a mere 24 years old and is only entering his third year in the NFL.
While Baylor is the most recent university to indulge in this statue frenzy, Auburn set the precedent in 2012 by honoring its most recent Heisman winner, Cam Newton, with a statue of his own. Newton was 23 and had only played a single season (16 games) of professional football.
The difference between Newton and Griffin’s statues and all the others is that everyone else’s was erected after the players were retired or careers were coming to a close.
Bryant would have been 93 when his statue was put up. Flutie’s tribute came two years after his retirement when he was 42. Jackson was nearing a half century in age when his likeness was erected on campus. In all these instances, the construction of the statues was postponed till the player had proven himself at the professional level as well as matured completely as a person.
While a statue to a retired player who has proven himself as both a person of character and skill throughout his career may seem safe, even that endeavor has its risk. Look at Penn State which was forced to tear down the statue of Joe Paterno after the Jerry Sandusky scandal unfolded in 2011.
One must also consider the effects of the honor the psyche of someone who is barely out of college. The building of these statue seemingly immortalizes the player, granting them a demi-god like status which inevitably coaxes the player into a sense of importance.
While the honor the statue of itself will probably not turn Griffin into a narcissist on its own right, one must look at in context.
NFL quarterbacks like Newton and Griffin are already the celebrities of the league, being showered with attention from fans who buy jerseys with their name emblazoned across the back as well as media who vie for interviews. When mixed together, one is brewing a situation that reeks of inflated self-worth and pretension.
This not meant to degrade the accomplishments of Newton or Griffin. Both have excelled in the college game winning Heisman’s and at the professional level, and both were awarded AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Baylor and Auburn meant nothing but the best with these tributes, but they may be doing more harm then good. Timing is everything. Baylor, just let a little more pass next time.
-Caravana is a sophomore undecided major from Granville, Ohio.