Korey Stringer's death conjures old poem

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August 2, 2001
Jim Bickal - Producer, Jay Weiner - Commentator and Reader
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MPR Sports Commentator Jay Weiner has been thinking about MInnesota Viking Korey Stringer's death. It reminded him of a 100-year-old poem by A.E. Housman.

Transcript:

(00:00:00) The time you won your town the race, we chaired you through the marketplace man and boy stood cheering by and home we
(00:00:07) brought you shoulder high
(00:00:09) today the road all Runners come shoulder. Hi. Hi, we bring you home and set you at your threshold down townsman of a Stiller town. It's called to an athlete dying young. It's a solemn poem written by AE Housman in 1896. It resonates this morning in Minnesota bear. Only a day after a pro football player for the local team died. So young. It's as if Hausman were writing for
(00:00:37) and to Korey Stringer smart lad
(00:00:41) to slip be times away from field where Glory does not stay and early though. The Laurel
(00:00:47) grows it Withers quicker than the rose in the aftermath of stringers death.
(00:00:53) We've already heard and read about the social psychology of this training camp death. He died because he didn't want to give up. Real men. Don't quit no pain. No gain.
(00:01:03) That's the culture pro football
(00:01:05) training camp is meant for punishment Victory is mind over matter. If the athlete doesn't mind
(00:01:11) then it doesn't matter the show must go on but amidst the questioning
(00:01:16) of why and how amidst the brute force of the NFL. We shouldn't lose sight of the
(00:01:21) softness of all this the
(00:01:23) Frailty and fleetingness of an athlete's
(00:01:25) career and His glory
(00:01:27) it's hard to say the word tenderness
(00:01:29) amidst. The grunting of pro football but
(00:01:31) somehow stringers death provides a moment of tenderness in a big-time Sports world that is overloaded
(00:01:39) with excessive money and Reckless egos.
(00:01:42) A player's death closes the gap between fan and
(00:01:45) athlete for a day or two. They are like us and we like them
(00:01:51) eyes the she denied has shut cannot
(00:01:54) see the record cut
(00:01:56) and silence sounds no worse than
(00:01:58) cheers. Earth has stopped the ears. There's a certain confusion and laws when a man who makes his living playing in a stadium simply dies,
(00:02:08) Korey Stringer unknown to most of us was a big Burly apparently terrific fellow husband and father. Maybe he was the stuff of a good old-fashioned Sports hero but a 27 with a six-year career now over with some fortune and marginal Fame. He's gone soon reduced on our memories, undoubtedly to some black armband or symbolic. Number 77 on the Vikings
(00:02:31) uniforms this coming season
(00:02:34) and a young TV viewer somewhere will ask Daddy. Why are all the Vikings wearing that number 77 patch? Who was that? The answer is
(00:02:44) athletes aren't so tough after all athletes can even die on the field
(00:02:50) and yes athletes and
(00:02:52) coaches can cry
(00:02:54) as we saw when stoic Vikings coach Dennis Green and the usually nonchalance superstar Randy Moss.
(00:03:00) Broke down yesterday when speaking of stringer
(00:03:04) in this remarkably revealed vulnerability. We saw that tenderness we saw an unusual
(00:03:12) softness. It's the softness we're
(00:03:15) feeling today because there's been a hard death in a Rough Sports
(00:03:19) World because an athlete died young and round the early Laurel
(00:03:24) head will flock to
(00:03:26) gies the strengthless did
(00:03:28) and find on withered. On its curls the
(00:03:31) Garland briefer than a girls.

Transcripts

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The time you won your town the race, we cheered you through the marketplace. Man and boy stood cheering by. And home, we brought you, shoulder high. Today, the road all runners come shoulder high. High, we bring you home, and set you at your threshold down, townsmen of a stiller town. It's called "To an Athlete Dying Young". It's a solemn poem written by AE Housman in 1896. It resonates this morning in Minnesota, barely a day after a pro football player for the local team died so young. It's as if Housman were writing for and to Korey Stringer.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away from field where glory does not stay. And early though the laurel grows, it withers quicker than the rose. In the aftermath of Stringer's death, we've already heard and read about the social psychology of this training camp death. He died because he didn't want to give up. Real men don't quit. No pain, no gain. That's the culture of pro football. Training camp is meant for punishment. Victory is mind over matter. If the athlete doesn't mind, then it doesn't matter. The show must go on.

But amidst the questioning of why and how, amidst the brute force of the NFL, we shouldn't lose sight of the softness of all this, the frailty and fleetingness of an athlete's career and his glory. It's hard to say the word tenderness amidst the grunting of pro football. But somehow, Stringer's death provides a moment of tenderness in a big time sports world that is overloaded with excessive money and reckless egos.

A player's death closes the gap between fan and athlete. For a day or two, they are like us and we like them. Eyes the shady night has shut cannot see the record cut. And silence sounds no worse than cheers, after Earth has stopped the ears. There's a certain confusion and loss when a man who makes his living playing in a stadium simply dies.

Korey Stringer, unknown to most of us, was a big, burly, apparently terrific fellow, husband, and father. Maybe he was the stuff of a good old-fashioned sports hero. But at 27, with a six-year career now over, with some fortune and marginal fame, he's gone, soon reduced in our memories, undoubtedly, to some black armband or symbolic number 77 on the Vikings uniforms this coming season.

And a young TV viewer somewhere will ask, daddy, why are all the Vikings wearing that number 77 patch? Who was that? The answer is athletes aren't so tough after all. Athletes can even die on the field. And yes, athletes and coaches can cry, as we saw when stoic Vikings coach Dennis Green and the usually nonchalant superstar Randy Moss broke down yesterday when speaking of Stringer.

In this remarkably revealed vulnerability, we saw that tenderness. We saw an unusual softness. It's the softness we're feeling today because there's been a hard death in a rough sports world. Because an athlete died young. And round the early-laurelled head, will flock to gaze the strengthless dead, and find unwithered on its curls, the garland briefer than a girl's.

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