Outdoor Hero - Warren Doyle
All this hoopla with Tiger Woods over the past two weeks has made me appreciate being an outdoor athlete. It also begs the question, do giants in the sporting world have an obligation to their fans to be not just great at their sport, but a great person as well? I say no, Tiger Woods does not owe me anything. I do not look to Tiger for any advice or examples of how to live my personal life.
But Tiger does have an obligation to Nike, EA Sports, Gillette and countless other sponsors to either be an upstanding guy or not get caught, because the truth is, I no longer want to own anything with Tiger’s image, likeness or signature on it. (Okay, I admit, there is one exception. I will still use Gillette razors because that’s what Roger Federer uses, and I want to use whatever the Fed uses.) But in general, when a person signs on to sell a product we need to be able to trust that person, and I no longer trust Tiger Woods.
Outdoor Hero - Scott Williamson
My current distrust of Tiger led me to start thinking about heroes in the outdoor world. I have met so many people pursuing their love of the outdoors on shoestring budget in an attempt to test their human limits, inspire others, and enjoy the natural world.
Some of my own personal heroes include hikers Warren Doyle and Scott Williamson, ultra-runner David Horton, and kayaker Anna Levesque. These folks are just as gifted and disciplined as anyone in mainstream sports, and yet they are also level-headed, unselfish and just as interested in you as you are in them. These people are not well known outside of their specific sport and they are constantly struggling to do what they love and support themselves and a family, but in my opinion they have proven themselves humble, wise, and worthy to be called a role model.
Outdoor Hero - Anna Levesque
So I think the outdoor industry should give society a new version of role models. I don’t think that these athletes should be paid millions of dollars, but how great it would be to have heroes that promote the outdoors, conservation, and a healthy lifestyle? What if we had heroes that didn’t respond to the roar of the crowd, but instead gave 100% day after day because an inner voice kept pushing them forward? What if instead of buying a jersey with someone’s name and number on it or sitting in the stands and eating nachos, people’s role models inspired them to go backpacking for the first time, take a kayaking lesson, or test themselves at a rock climbing clinic?
There are so many amazing people in the outdoor world with amazing stories, and I think it would do a lot of people a lot of good to hear their voice. The world of professional sports is about more, more, and more, but the outdoor world is about doing more and needing less.
Outdoor Hero - David Horton
Now, don’t misunderstand me, I am a HUGE mainstream sports fan, and I am not saying that there won’t be an outdoor icon who is unfaithful to his/her spouse, or that they won’t use recreational drugs. But as it stands right now, there are no outdoor athletes that I know of who have over-inflated egos because they sign multi-million dollar contracts, and they are not on their way to being a billionaire like Tiger. Instead, they have chosen their sport out of love, personal growth, and an appreciation for the outdoors. And I just think it would be cool, if the outdoor world introduced some of their heroes to the mainstream population.
With the trend of society rightly turning towards being more “green,” shouldn’t our sports heroes do the same?
