http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/magazine/specials/sportsman/2005/11/29/thierry.henry/index.html
My Sportsman Choice: Thierry Henry
By Richard Deitsch
If the name above is unfamiliar, we understand. This is America,
after all, and Thierry Henry plys his trade across the Atlantic. Of
course, if you are a fan of European soccer, you know all about
Henry.
You know he is French and plays for the London-based Arsenal soccer
team, where he has scored more goals than any other player in that
club's storied history. You know he is regarded by many as the best
striker in the world. You know he does not merely score goals. He
creates moments. Commentators describe him using words reserved for
people such as Maria Callas, Etta James and Lena Horne:
incomparable.
Getty Images
Am I nominating Henry for SI's Sportsman of the Year based on his
performance on the pitch in 2005? Not at all. Henry's year ranks
behind Lance Armstrong, Bode Miller, Annika Sorenstam and a host of
other athletes. But he stood up in 2005 against a much bigger foe
than Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Professional athletes today, especially in America, are decidedly
apolitical. Dissent and protest these days comes in the form of a
wide receiver upset with a $48 million contract. I don't blame
them. There is too much money at stake in an age where every public
comment is spun and analyzed through the blogosphere. Talking sides
can be costly. Suns guard Steve Nash was criticized for wearing a
T-shirt to media day during the 2003 NBA's All-Star weekend that
read "No War. Shoot for Peace." Neutrality is bland -- and
profitable. Famously, Michael Jordan refused to endorse the black
senatorial candidate in his native North Carolina, Harvey Gantt, in
a race against Jesse Helms. Air Apolitical, indeed.
This is why the 28-year-old Henry deserves your respect. Black
soccer players in Europe are often treated despicably. Fans chant
racial epitaphs and make monkey noises when they have the ball.
DaMarcus Beasley, the U.S. national player who plays for PSV
Eindhoven in the Netherlands, told SI.com in October that "racism
exists in soccer. It sucks but it does. It's weird: You have guys
on your team that are African-American and you are booing
me."
The incident that ultimately prompted Henry to become a European
symbol against racism was not from a beer-soaked lout in the crowd,
but rather a man in charge of some of the best players in the
world. In an attempt to motivate Jose Antonio Reyes, who plays with
Henry at Arsenal, Spanish national coach Luis Aragones told Reyes
during a training session that he was better than that negro de
mierda [black s---]. His comments were picked up by television
cameras.
At the time, Henry stayed silent. He expected football officials
would use the occasion to take a stand against racism. They did
not. That was followed one month later by racist chants against the
black players on England's national team during a "friendly"
against Spain in Madrid. Henry had enough. "After all these things
happened, I realized that footballers have a duty to defend
important values, and use their media exposure to deliver messages
when the occasion presents itself," Henry told Time Europe in
October.
Enraged by soccer's collective silence, Henry took action. Last
January with the help of his sponsor, Nike, he launched an
awareness campaign (Stand Up, Speak Up) and became the public face
against racism in soccer. In the same way Armstrong's yellow wrist
bands (LiveStrong) have become an iconic symbol against cancer,
Stand Up has raised awareness and funds by selling intertwined
black and white interlocking bands for two euros each. The proceeds
from sales of the wristband (five million have been produced and
distributed) are being distributed by the independent King Baudouin
Foundation to support anti- racism campaigns across Europe.
The campaign, I predict, will ultimately provide a bigger legacy
for Henry than his marvelous achievements on the pitch. I'd like to
meet Henry and tell him how much I admire what he's done but I
doubt our paths will ever cross. Instead, I'm sending Stand Up,
Speak Up a check, and a four-word note -- Sportsman of the
Year.
