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TZ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 11:50 AM
Original message
Non-jerky sports stars?
I was just commentating on how much I dislike Sydney Crosby but thinking as much as I admire his skills Alex Ovechkin doesn't seem much better. In fact, it seems like almost all the stars are egomaniacal assholes..Which I suppose shouldn't be a shock in today's society.
So far, one of the things I like about young Stephen Strasburg is he seems like a real down to earth type of guy and while he has pride in his abilities, it's never come off as arrogant to me....
Any other atheletes who seem to have not had fame and talent go to their head?
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Auggie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 11:56 AM
Response to Original message
1. Many come to mind
Jim Thome, for instance, who has hit 570 home runs. He's always appeared pretty level-headed to me.
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Forkboy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 12:00 PM
Response to Original message
2. Tim Wakefield comes to mind.
Class act all the way.

And same for Bobby Orr.
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flvegan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 12:42 PM
Response to Original message
3. Google "Warrick Dunn Foundation"
He's just one of many stars/former stars that have set up some sort of charity for those less fortunate. His just came to mind first because I see him on the news giving another house away once every few months it seems.
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TZ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 12:46 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. Oh yeah.
I do remember hearing about how much charity work he does. :thumbsup:
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hughee99 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 07:10 PM
Response to Reply #3
15. Not to denigrate Dunn, he seems like a good guy, but Barry Bonds
Roethlisburger, Clemens, and I think even Albert Belle had charities.
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joeybee12 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 12:51 PM
Response to Original message
5. Chris Evert--never make excuses, always congratulate your opponent,
never curse.
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KamaAina Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 01:32 PM
Response to Original message
6. The sad thing is, hockey used to be head and shoulders above other sports in this regard.
And now arguably the game's two top players are both D's -- and I don't mean defensemen.

The late Manute Bol was exactly the kind of guy you're looking for. :(
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TZ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 01:46 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. Yep.
He's sincerely mourned in DC...
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LisaM Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 01:52 PM
Response to Original message
8. Brendan Shanahan
spending all kinds of times working for Alzheimer's causes.

Charles Woodson, just gave $2 million to the Mott Children's hospitals.

There actually are a lot of really nice-guy (and women) athletes, but they don't get the attention they deserve. Partly, they probably don't seek it.
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JonLP24 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 02:32 PM
Response to Original message
9. I can't tell
I don't know any of them personally. They may seem like a good guy but may be a jerk in person. Vice versa as well. Media is not always an accurate representation of who someone really is.
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TZ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 02:52 PM
Response to Reply #9
10. There are ways to tell...
Charitable causes, do they give autographs in public and for how long etc..For instance Cal Ripken, who has a reputation for being a really classy guy lived up to that by often staying at the stadium for looong amounts of time after a game to sign autographs for kids.... Diva reputations are usually well earned, IMO.
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JonLP24 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 03:05 PM
Response to Reply #10
11. That would be tough to tell for me
A lot of athletes are into philanthropy. For example, most people would say Terrell Owens is a jerk but he does a lot for Alzheimer's research which was something he got into because his grandma suffers from the disease. In fact I remember ESPN giving him shit last year for missing a voluntary workout for the Bills. They neglected to mention he was at the National Alzheimers' Gala in Washington, D.C. However he may still very well be a jerk.

I honestly don't know how often each athlete signs autographs or don't sign autographs. It's just something that I can't keep track of.
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Auggie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 03:40 PM
Response to Reply #9
12. Joe DiMaggio is a classic example...
if you believe Richard Cramer (Joe DiMaggio : The Hero's Life)

http://www.amazon.com/Joe-DiMaggio-Richard-Ben-Cramer/dp/B000H2MF1I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277411666&sr=1-1
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joeybee12 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-25-10 10:28 AM
Response to Reply #12
20. What you mean is, honored throughout his life, but in real life a total major
asshole!
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Auggie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-25-10 11:48 AM
Response to Reply #20
21. That's what I've read
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JTG of the PRB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 04:51 PM
Response to Original message
13. Todd Helton.
Never met the man myself, but everyone I've ever spoke to who has says he's a genuine, truly nice human being.
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Kingofalldems Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 05:09 PM
Response to Original message
14. Strasburg
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Goblinmonger Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 07:14 PM
Response to Original message
16. Landon Donovan
His reaction to scoring the winning goal and subsequent interviews were fantastic.
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redqueen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jun-26-10 10:00 AM
Response to Reply #16
24. +1
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Iggo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 10:29 PM
Response to Original message
17. Starsburg's been around for what...10 minutes?
Maybe he hasn't had the time for fame to go to his head. And we haven't seen enough of him to know whether or not he shares the assholiness of the rest of 'em.

(I'm gonna go ahead and leave the typo...lol.)
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caraher Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-24-10 11:00 PM
Response to Original message
18. Don't put too much stock in the charities
Most people with gobs of money at some point found a charitable foundation, the logic being that you reduce your taxes and even if you don't keep that money, you at least get to say where it goes.

Some athletes are clearly committed to the charities they support beyond writing a check, and I do give them a lot of credit. But just to say so-and-so started a charity doesn't impress me much.
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meow2u3 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-25-10 09:55 AM
Response to Original message
19. David Wright. He has class and is my favorite Met
I hardly ever see him acting like an egotistical asshole. He's a level-headed guy who shows class and plays the game all-out. The only drawback is that he's a Republican.
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taterguy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-25-10 04:33 PM
Response to Original message
22. The dearly departed Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser was a helluva guy
Ran into him once at a Dwight Yoakem concert.

Just seemed like a really nice down-to-earth guy.

I also know that he worked tirelessly for the local Humane Society.

He wasn't just a figurehead fundraiser.

He spent countless hours volunteering there.
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Sugarcoated Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-25-10 09:16 PM
Response to Original message
23. Chase Utley
and I agree with joeybee on Chris Evert. She was always my favorite sports star in my teenage years. And classy is not a strong enough adjective to describe Arthur Ashe.
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CanonRay Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jun-26-10 05:20 PM
Response to Original message
25. Ubaldo Jiminez
Just a nice kid with a great arm.
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A-Long-Little-Doggie Donating Member (895 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-27-10 01:26 PM
Response to Original message
26. Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga
He showed amazing composure and class after his almost-no-hitter.
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