For Sale: A piece of the past…for the benefit of the future?
October 16, 2010As I enjoyed my oatmeal this morning, I was confronted with a story in The New York Times: Tommie Smith is selling his gold medal.
Wait, what?
Yeah, that Tommie Smith. Smith was the 1968 Olympic gold medalist in the 200 meters from the US. He was also the man who, along with silver medalist John Carlos, raised a black-gloved fist symbolizing Black Power as the US national anthem was played and the stars and stripes were raised. As the NYTimes article points out, this gesture was one of the most important, powerful, and memorable political statements in sports. The familiar photo of the two men on the Olympic podium serves as a reminder of that moment, a moment that resulted in death threats and struggles for the two brave young men in the years since that medal ceremony. Instead of standing and simply taking in the adulation for his world record, gold-medal performance, Smith donated his moment to a cause he believed in: a better future.
The big question now appears to be: but how could you, Tommie?
Having dismissed rumors that he was in financial trouble, the NYTimes article suggests that maybe the medal may serve as a reminder of the difficulties Smith endured following the demonstration and simply be ready, possibly eager, to part with it. That’s possible, sure. Or maybe he just isn’t sentimental and doesn’t need the medal to remind him of something the world hasn’t forgotten. Or maybe he’s just crazy, because who wouldn’t want their Olympic gold medal no matter what the memories tied to it were? The gold medal is the epitome, the highlight for so many, a sign that at some point you were the greatest. Athletes spend years sacrificing for a chance to simply compete at an Olympic Games, not to mention a chance to win any medal much less a gold one. Yeah, that’s it, he must be crazy.
I have another thought that doesn’t include Tommie Smith needing a psych evaluation. It seems to me that this is just one more selfless gesture, albeit less silent than the one he’s known for.
Smith’s medal has a high potential value, as the medal is the medal from that photo. I’m sure memorabilia collectors around the world are salivating over this news. So Smith is planning on a big pay day, right? Maybe not. There seems to be a very good chance that Smith plans to use the proceeds from the sale as a way to raise funds for a charitable organization to which he is connected.
Donating a piece of his own history in order to better the future, where have I heard that before?
Of course, this is just speculation, as we don’t yet know for sure what his reasons are for auctioning off the medal. However, if this is a way to raise money for his charitable initiative helping others–and I hope that’s why–it really wouldn’t surprise me. Smith seems just seems to be the kind of selfless person who would.
Wow, this is really interesting. I hope they do a follow up piece when they find out what’s behind his decision to sell his medal. I wonder why he hasn’t explained why he’s selling it.
An great topic, April! You are generous not to rush to conclusions and to grant Smith the benefit of the doubt. I am a little more cynical. The auction company released this statement as to why Smith is auctioning the medal:
“Part of the reason is for money, but also he feels it is time to share it with the sports-collecting memorabilia public.”
Somehow I think he needs the cash. If it were for charity, why not announce it at the outset? That might even drive the price up because of its perceived “do good” value.
But I hope I’m wrong! Can’t wait for the follow up blog when we know more!
Yeah, I’m a total idealist on this one, though much less so after the statement release. I hope it’s for a good cause and not b/c this person needs the cash, though that would be an equally valid reason too.