Low and Outside

"Not guilty, your honour."

Those were the words spoken by an aloof Roger Clemens as he appeared in U.S. Federal court on Monday. The seven-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher is being accused of lying to a Congressional Committee investigating steroid use in professional baseball. In 2008, when questioned by the aforementioned committee, Clemons denied knowingly taking any performance enhancing drugs during his 24 years in the game. This despite key witnesses, including former trainer Brian McName and former team mate Andy Pettitte, testifying that Clemens regularly received injections of Human Growth Hormones (HGH).

So what?

Fans of Clemens loved him for what he could do on the ball field. Nicknamed 'Rocket' (not to be confused with Maurice Richard, who was truly 'The Rocket'), Clemens' abilities on the mound were remarkable. At the peak of his career he consistently led the league in wins, ERAs and strikeouts. He is one of only four pitchers in the history of baseball with over 4000 strikeouts.

Those that worked with or around Clemens recall a man who could be exceedingly charming and appreciative to fans, but also arrogant and entitled. In his appearance in court Monday he seemed unfazed by the gravity of the situation and appeared to enjoy the attention. He continued to sign autographs and pose for pictures as if his court date was a trip to the red carpet.

Again, so what?

Clemens, like many professional athletes and celebrities (I suppose he is both) are often expected by society to use their position responsibly. That is: not to lie, cheat or break the law. These are the unspoken rules of the game. Rules that are more often broken than adhered to. As a result, the media, fuelled by our own insatiable curiousity, splatter dirty headlines all over magazines, radios and televisions.

Where did these expectations come from? And why exactly would we want to look to celebrity to re-calibrate our moral compass?

It was thirteen years ago today that Princess Diana Spencer died in a car accident. The discussions about the water cooler today focussed on the impact of the loss and all of the good things she did in a tragically short life. She was also the centre of much controversy surrounding her tumultuous marriage to Prince Charles and less than warm relationship with the Royal Family. Many people still speak fondly of her physical beauty and her charm.

Much of what Diana accomplished in her tenure as Princess of Wales, and subsequent role in the media spotlight, was not unlike many of the accomplishments of the other Royals. Military service, raising awareness of social issues and fund raising are fundamental aspects of public service in the Royal family. But the other Royals were stiff, distant and had nowhere near the caché and glamour of Diana.

Diana's story was tragic in many ways, but one wonders if it is more so because of her beauty and elegance that had charmed a legion of followers. If that is true, then perhaps she was never truly understood for who she was and what she wanted to become. Diana was certainly no fool, she knew how to use her influence to further a cause, and fortunately for many, she chose the right causes. Like most of us though, she was not without flaws or above making poor choices. Unlike most of us her physical beauty and power of celebrity granted her significantly more forgiveness from the public than most others enjoy.

Whether it is correct or not, we often give celebrities the status of role model. We look for some form of inspiration and direction from their stories. The thing is, it is unreasonable for any one person to meet those expectations just as it is for ourselves. We don't give ourselves enough credit for what each of us can accomplish quietly behind the scenes. And let's face it, being in the public eye doesn't automatically qualify someone to be a font of wisdom. Just look at Paris Hilton.

If anything, Roger Clemens' story is a reminder that we need to chose our heroes carefully. In a lot of cases those heroes are people that nobody has heard of. Which is fine, because neither charm nor beauty nor throwing a baseball really fast are enough to solve this world's problems.