Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sports, "Hunt's Grunts"

No fear

...and the Sportopia Antacid Competition of the Week

By Hunt Archbold

SAN DIEGO—The local paper here recently indicated that after more than three decades of performing, 55-year-old Ted Giannoulas will soon retire. Of course, Giannoulas is better known as the Famous Chicken, the former San Diego State University student whose antics, athleticism and imagination made the barnyard fowl of buffoonery arguably the most popular mascot to ever perform at sports arenas and stadiums.

There may soon no longer be a Chicken, but residents of this city and state continue to be scared—and it has little to do with the impending big earthquake, whenever that might occur. No, California is in an economic mess, of the $24 billion budget deficit variety, and residents of the Golden State are hardly shiny, happy people as the state begins a new fiscal year this week.

Then again, the current economic recession has all Americans wrapped up in a ball of fear and stress. Whether we’re losing our jobs or seeing a loved one lose theirs, our hearts are breaking as the country we love is losing. So where do we turn to for moments of escape? Sports, of course.

The United States’ shocking upset win over Spain in the FIFA Confederation Cup semifinals last week came less than 24 hours after President Barack Obama warned the country to expect nationwide unemployment to exceed 10 percent this year. The soccer victory provided a temporary lift in spirits, and when the U.S. plays for the championship on June 28 in Johannesburg, the weak economy won’t be the topic at hand.

Sports—not the business of sport, but the games and matches themselves—are recession-proof. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t fear in sports. On the contrary, athletic competition is flooded with it.

Intimidation is a tactic utilized by many on fields and courts across the globe. British tennis star Andy Murray, having beaten Roger Federer four straight meetings heading into Wimbledon, remarked that he had the great Swede “running scared” as play began at the All England Club last week. Odds are, though, that should Federer face Murray, he’ll be less fearful than he was a few weeks ago in the French Open final, when a spectator jumped on the court and tried to put a hat on his head; Federer later described the moment as “scary” and “frightening.”

And then there’s next week’s annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, where 1,300-pound behemoths barrel down narrow streets seeking to gore all those in their path. Now, that’s scary.

Scared is certainly how my 5-year-old nephew felt last week in a southern California pool. Holding onto the wall and listening to my pleas for him to let go and swim the few feet away to my waiting arms, the little fella whimpered, “but I’m scared, Uncle Hunt.”

I tried to explain that it was natural to be afraid, that there’s a lot pressure associated with performance; that if he would think of his fear more as a challenge, then he was halfway there. But at that moment, all he could think about was the frightful notion that he would sink if he let go.

Fear comes in many shapes and forms. In the Sherlock Holmes story “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” Sir Charles Baskerville dies from a heart attack brought on by extreme psychological stress—i.e., being frightened to death. And a few years ago, in a medical article by University of California, San Diego sociologist David Phillips, persuasive evidence was presented linking extreme psychological stress and fatal heart attacks. Maybe that’s the reason I can’t tolerate the “Saw” movies. Or maybe it’s because they’re just so sick.

Regardless, fear is meant to be faced. As our nation celebrates its birthday next weekend, it’s hard not to marvel at the fear Revolutionary War soldiers overcame to fight for our freedom some 230 years or so ago. It’s hard not to marvel at the fear those fighting for our freedom overcome even now, each and every day.

There’s a difference between fear and reality, and it’s essential that both are recognized and faced. The floundering economy will rebound, the unbeatable opponent can be taken. Fear can and will be conquered, if only we put our minds to it.  

Happy times … and don’t worry, lil’ Nathan Archbold, you’ll be happily swimming fear-free in no time. SP