By Phil Taylor
Cool, the onetime giant of sports culture that had long been in declining health, died in seclusion last month. In a measure of how forgotten Cool had become, the moment of its passing went largely unnoticed even though the event was witnessed by millions on television, shortly after the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers. In the ensuing celebration Celtics star Kevin Garnett was asked how he felt about winning the first title of his 13-year career. He threw his head back and bellowed, "Anything is possible!" as though he had just accomplished something previously thought to be beyond human capability, like walking on the sun or deciphering the plot of Lost. With Garnett's scream, Cool took its dying breath.
Authorities say that Garnett will not be held responsible for the demise of Cool, ruling that he was no more culpable than thousands of other modern-day athletes who have an overwhelming need for self-congratulation and a tendency to overdramatize. Those athletes avoided Cool like a subpoena during its final years, instead embracing midair chest bumps, primal yells and the kind of elaborate, multistep hand jive that grade-school girls do on playgrounds.
Cool was on a respirator as the end neared, its breathing more shallow with every poststrikeout fist pump by Joba Chamberlain, every dunk-and-sneer from Vince Carter and every one-act play performed by Chad Johnson after a touchdown catch. In its weakened state, it was hard to believe that Cool once walked with kings, that Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Julius Erving, Bjorn Borg and Walt Frazier were never caught without Cool, in competition or away from it. Cool not only added to their mystique but also served a practical purpose. "I always felt that [Cool] gave me an advantage," Frazier says. "It's like in poker, if the other players can't read you, it puts that uncertainty in their minds and that puts you in control."
Its age was hard to pin down, but Cool is believed to have been born in the late 1960s, around the time Joe Namath began wearing full-length fur coats and dating models (no one said Cool couldn't be fun) and John Carlos and Tommie Smith stood silent and stoic on the Olympic medal podium in Mexico City, their leather-gloved fists raised in a human rights salute (no one said Cool couldn't be serious).
Stardom quickly followed for Cool. Kids aspired to it. Men tried to embody it. Women were attracted to it. Cool reached out to established coaches, giving their gentlemanly, controlled personas a new cachet. As Tom Landry walked the Dallas Cowboys' sideline wearing a suit, a crisp fedora and an unchanging expression, Cool was on his shoulder. It was there, too, beside UCLA's John Wooden as he directed his nearly flawless Bruins -- perhaps the coolest crew ever -- without rising from his courtside seat. It seemed not so much that winners were cool, but that Cool created winners.
Only in retrospect is it clear when Cool began to hit hard times. In the opener of the 1979–80 NBA season, the Lakers beat the San Diego Clippers on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's buzzer-beating hook shot. Abdul-Jabbar was the kind of Cool customer who would hit a game-winner, stroll off the court and go put on a Miles Davis album. But this was the pro debut for Magic Johnson, the league's No. 1 pick. Magic jumped on Abdul-Jabbar and wrapped him in a bear hug, surprising the captain but charming the fans with his joy. No one knew it then, but Cool was doomed.
Though Magic's jubilation was genuine, over time fans and players alike became so hooked on open displays of emotion that they didn't care if those displays were real or not. Partly because of the huge salaries that athletes were making, the public wanted to see players in agony or ecstasy, as proof that they cared about more than the paycheck. The athlete who preened for the cameras and pounded his chest was assumed to have more passion than the one who kept a lid on his emotions. Cool became confused with Bland and Uninterested. Now it's not the player who bashes in the occasional watercooler who's criticized, it's the one who doesn't.
Like most stars of another era, Cool had several aborted comebacks, with the occasional athlete attempting to revive it. Tom Brady, Mariano Rivera and Ichiro Suzuki were among the last advocates of Cool, but few of their colleagues followed suit. Cool's condition was terminal.
There will be no funeral service, which is how Cool would have wanted it. In lieu of flowers, mourners are asked simply to appreciate players who don't feel the need to punctuate every accomplishment with an over-the-top celebration, who understand the beauty in letting a performance speak for itself. That would be totally Cool.
Anne V
Jessica Gomes
Teams to climb out of 3-1 holes
Back in Time: October 15
Comments (61) Add A Comment
I mourn the passing of Cool! And by the way, this was The Coolest last page column since a cetain columnist lost his cool and jumped ship. I'm a lifelong Braves fan, and frequently contend with bloggers on the Atlanta Journal-Counstitution website who are critical of Chipper Jones. No one can argue with his stats, but some would rather him to be a brash loudmouth, and mistake his Cool for lack of emotion. He's a quiet leader, now a respected elder. He's a throwback. But unless the Braves reach the World Series soon, his influence will be limited. I loved Walt Frazier, mentioned in your article, he was the epitome of Cool. Others I remember: Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert (how did she ever win without grunting ridiculously loud with every shot? I don't like Nadal's grunts either, meanwhile the everCool Federer is quietly magnificent.) Tom Seaver, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Nolan Ryan...these were passionate superstars, but certainly Cooler than their contemporaries. Our savior may come from the NFL, Calvin Johnson might just be able resurrect Cool, if he achieves the kind of stardom I believe he's destined for. He was the Man on campus at Ga. Tech for 3 years, a hero from freshman on, ACC superstar...yet he was never ever controversial, never more than humbly polite. He may be our only hope.
kool$kat
Total Comments (2)
I definitely agree this article is the best back page column since R.R. left. Kudos to Phil Taylor this article totally captured the frustration I feel every time I see a Celtic fake an injury and return "triumphantly" to the court after sitting in the locker room for 15 minutes doing who knows what, among many other things. I long for the day that a baseball player can hit a home run and not react as if he is the first to ever do such a thing, and also not thank God as if it is a blessing that He specifically bestowed upon only them. I'm 18 but I wish sports had less fake emotion than they do now.
Cool People:
Russell Martin
Federer
Zidane
Hopeless ones:
Paul Pierce
Manny Ramirez
Eric Byrnes...many more
WLA
Los Angeles , CA
Total Comments (1)
I think Reggie Jackson is a great yardstick. In the day, I thought he was an arrogant a*r*s*e. Today, I wish that people would tone it down to the comparatively tame level that Jackson exhibited.
qstudiosdoc
Cumming , GA
Total Comments (25)
Fantastic article. Reminds me of the old saying: When you get to the endzone, act like you've been there before.
RustyTX
Total Comments (2)
Fantastic article. Reminds me of the old saying- when you get to the endzone, act like you've been there
RustyTX
Total Comments (2)
Cool story. And oh so right. A few more cool hands...Lou Gehrig, Jim Brown, Johnny Bench, John Havlicek, Dan Issel, Clifford Ray, Billy Kilmer, Johnny U., Larry Csonka, Brent Jones, Barry Sanders, John Stockton, Floyd Patterson, Dale Murphy, Tom Mackey, and the ultimate cool athlete, Jesse Owens. All from an earlier era when sportmanship meant something and true professionals exuded class.
PropDoc
Fairfield , CA
Total Comments (1)
I couldn't agree more - I have been waiting a long time for someone to write this article. I am constant amazed and frustrated that TV commentators don't make a bigger deal out of on-field/court antics - if negative comments are discouraged, at least they could praise the athletes that participate with class and decorum, humility and sportsmanship.
As a lifelong fan of Detroit sports team, I look at the examples set by Barry Sanders, Joe Dumars, Steve Yzerman, and Alan Trammel for excellence without unnecessary exuberance. (and sadly endure the antics of Rasheed Wallace, and rue the sportsmanship deficiencies of the 'Bad Boys', and Ty Cobb...)
bruiser66
Arlington , TX
Total Comments (1)
Ummm, you just need to watch more hockey.... cool lives. And I don't just mean because it is played on ice. Actually, check that... you need to watch more Canadian hockey players. Ok, done.
emmjayb
Total Comments (1)
The Eagles' Brian Westbrook is one of the last to personify Cool. Anyone that just drops the ball after they score or moreover takes a knee to preserve the win when the endzone is an unimpeded two yards away (not to mention against their most hated of rivals) has Cool waiting for them back on the bench.
st96t3h6
Pasadena , MD
Total Comments (8)
Thank you, Phil Taylor, for this much needed statement on behalf of Cool!
I could not agree more with your comments. As to the funeral, you are no doubt right again -- Cool wouldn't want any publicity over his demise any more than his victories.
Meanwhle I, along with millions of others I'm sure, will be thankful for the fact that you cared enough to write this article on behalf of fans who are also disgusted with the preening, chest pounding, self absorbed atheletes in most sports. I will also continue to be thankful for the few professionals who still wear Cool on their shoulders and get the fact that performance speaks for itself. If only there were more of them.
Thanks again.
pluck4
La Mirada , CA
Total Comments (1)
It's a lose-lose situation for athletes. If an athlete shows emotion, they're automatically cocky or over-acting. If they don't, they're stoic or don't care enough or have enough "passion."
Just because some athletes don't show their emotions doesn't make them any better or "cooler" than any other. If they don't feel like showing emotion, fine. But don't criticize genuine guys like KG and others who REALLY DID have that raw emotion.
None of you here couldn't begin to fathom how hard it is for an athlete on a week to week basis. For some, gameday is a time for them to release all the anxiety and emotion they've repressed throughout the week. The thing is that you want your athletes to be athletic robots; just go out and play for us so "we" can boost about how "we" won a championship, when "we" did nothing but cheer in the stands. Then we dump the guy whenever the next robot comes to takes his place. Everyone forgets that athletes are human too. Let them act like it. Let them show it.
DMoney89
Marietta , GA
Total Comments (2)
I just thought of something else too:
Based on this article, Brett Favre, the most beloved QB in the NFL, is the most uncool player of all time. Why praise his giddyness and emotion he displays o the field, yet bash KG for his shouting after he finally won his long-awaited first championship??? What a double-edge sword this article is.
DMoney89
Marietta , GA
Total Comments (2)
Cool article
ignacio
Duvall , WA
Total Comments (10)
I can hear Lupe Fiasco playing in the background when I read this, but I agree, Cool article indeed.
S. Koiner
Brooklyn, NY
Total Comments (44)
The epitomy of Cool: A John Riggin's touchdown. Just flip the ball to the ref and walk off the field. THAT is Cool.
poutine
Total Comments (1)
I neverthought about it but he's right. The celtics had about 5 or 6 fake willis reed moments, and trust me cool died when the media overhyped and crowned lebron the next MJ
bigpapi2432
Downey , CA
Total Comments (1)
DMoney89-well thought out and well said-BUT-if you look at Favre's celebrations-there is a fist pump and usually heading to the end zone to congratulate whoever made the play. It is not usually about him or what a great play he made. For the most part, today's athlete's show of emotion is all about them-self aggrandizement.
To suggest that in bygone days that athletes didn't have "to release all the anxiety and emotion they have repressed throughout the week" and that they were "robots is somewhat overstating the case.
It's a sign of the times-sports these day is big business and BIG entertainment-I for one would prefer some more Cool.
Pacer
Bozeman , MT
Total Comments (7)
The death of Cool pretty much signified the death of my interest in actually watching sports. I never thought I'd get to this point, but I'm perfectly willing to wait until the sports section arrives on my front porch the next day. Mr. Taylor hit the nail on the head several times, particularly with his remark about Joba Chamberlain. Such reactions are perfectly understandable when a team clinches a division, a pennant or a title - but they look ridiculous in game 36 of the regular season. I honestly can't stand seeing it anymore, and don't even get me started on end zone celebrations. I haven't watched an NFL game on TV since 2006, I haven't watched an MLB game since last year, and I gave up on the NBA over five years ago. The only thing I'm willing to sit through is the NHL anymore, largely because the athletes don't go through absurd gyrations every time they make a decent pass or a good defensive play. I really, REALLY miss Cool.
Smicard
Washington , DC
Total Comments (1)
I have to disagree with this article. First of all, the world of sports isn't about being cool. The best part of sports is when we get to see very real emotions while the best athletes in the world accomplish greatness. I'll agree a Joba fist pump isn't necessary after every strikeout but after the Celtics won the championship, what's wrong with KG celebrating the one thing he thought would never come and had worked for his entire life? And as for the "cool Michael Jordan" was it not Jordan who held the NBA Finals trophy in his arms and cried his eyes out? Not exactly the epitome of cool. In an era where athletes double as underwear models and cologne spokesman, I'll take the "uncool" raw emotion of sports. The day Tiger Woods doesn't fist pump after sinking a 60 foot eagle putt is the day I lose interest in the sport.
longbeach49r
Santa Rosa , CA
Total Comments (1)
Great Points - I attribute the death of the cool to the hip/hop culture (not black culture) I've never seen a single group celebrate useless crap as people that call themselves hip/hop culturist. I know, Jay-Z says..."you be celebrating the moment you be having dough..." Fine, celebrate your catch, lay-up, tackle, par put, base hit, but try to keep it at a level just below monkey's throwing poo.
JCAT
Latrobe , PA
Total Comments (3)
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