Reconciling the Over-Glorification of Athletes in a 'Title Town'

Reading, Massachusetts, the “Title Town.” While a self-proclaimed term, it is not self-imagined. During my time at Reading Memorial High School from 2010-2014, the football, boys’ track, girls’ swimming, and boys’ hockey programs to name a few all brought home state championships. Walking down the crowded hallways of RMHS on a Friday, I’d pass by swarms of cheerleaders in their skirts, the field hockey girls and football guys clad in jerseys chatting in clusters, the swim team wearing camo or matching puffy paint t-shirts grabbing books from their decorated lockers, the soccer girls in full uniform casually entering their next class. With every Fall Friday night came the classic “0-1, 0-1-8, 0-1-8-6-7” cheer and that guy who peaked in high school, screaming from the top row of the bleachers insults to the other football teams and shout-outs to his “boys”. Sports were undeniably central to the RMHS culture.

Never a true sports fan myself, yet growing up in this sports-focused (maybe obsessed) climate, I have been trying to reconcile the identity of Title Town and its impact on the athletes who have contributed to this reputation. Recent news, such as the rape trial of Brock Turner of Stanford University, a standout swimmer, as well as the rape trial of Vanderbilt football players Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey, made me angry. I felt that the adoration of sports stars has undeniably gone too far. I stand by this claim. Why have those with athletic prowess become equated to heroes? Shouldn’t we worship people for reasons grounded more in morality? This powerfulness, this superiority reaffirmed by screaming fans, loyal teammates, and supportive coaches can have detrimental impacts on the individual and those, who, by asserting that they are not inferior to these stars, challenge such a well-cultivated ego.

It was not until I was listening to the radio this morning that I realized the distinction between athlete idolatry and the Title Town identity. LeBron James, the basketball superstar and recent winner of the NBA Championship, was interviewed. His responses were cluttered with “I” statements, about how HE had set a goal when HE returned to Cleveland that HE had given this goal everything HE had. Here, is where the over-glorification of athletes becomes problematic. This problem area is where the athlete is so self-focused that all victories become about her or him and therefore, he is deserving, he is great, and importantly, he is superior and can do as he pleases. Yet, the Title Town identity is not about the individual, it is about a collective identity. Title Town unites athletes across sports, creating a reputation that links various athletes and their achievements together. Importantly, in fostering this sense of the Title Town, the individual is contributing to a larger, collective identity that is bigger than himself, and primarily motivated by a pride in one’s community, not personal ego.

Inarguably, getting a town’s pride from sports builds up its athletes. Being a successful athlete is a status booster at RMHS. Yet, Title Town is not a problematic term in itself. The town’s collective obsession undeniably treads a fine line between idolatry and simply the product of a close-knit community with a penchant for attending sports games. But, it creates a unifying identity and a sense that when you get on the field, court or in the pool, you are doing it for your parents, your neighbors, those kids who taught your sports camp who contributed to a Reading title of their own, and wholly for the Reading community.