Josh Hamilton's story has always been accompanied by words like "comeback," "redemption," and "triumph." After all, Hamilton was a man whose baseball career and personal life were derailed because of drug and alcohol abuse. But with plenty of help and determination Hamilton got clean, dedicated himself to his family, and turned his life around, culminating in a memorable performance in the 2008 Home Run Derby.
Fans were awed by Hamilton's perseverance in overcoming his addictions, and considered him a success story for people who've struggled with their own demons.
But one thing we tend to forget when we praise these success stories is that these people, like the rest of us, are only human.
A big story making the rounds today is that photos have popped up on the Web site Deadspin showing Josh Hamilton in a bar, shirtless, doing whipped cream body shots with a number of young women, hardly activities that would befit a man who has previously proclaimed his sobriety and his dedication to Jesus, his wife and kids. Hamilton himself even held a press conference today admitting that the incident took place in January, and said that he was embarrassed that he had fallen off the wagon in that particular moment.
Does this cast a shadow over his inspiring story of redemption? Hard to say at the moment. But does it make Josh Hamilton a horrible person? No, it only means that he's human, and humans make stupid mistakes.
In Hamilton's case, his mistakes are made all the more public. Considering how important his recovery was to his image in the first place, these photos prove even more damning. But such is the life for a professional athlete. In this current era of instant media coverage, every aspect of an athlete's life is capable of being covered. That means that every action, statement, or mistake can easily become public record. It's not enough anymore to simply watch your words in front of a reporter, or to stay away from the Paparazzi. In Hamilton's case, he did his deeds in a dive bar where someone happened to have a camera. That person sent them to Deadspin, and the rest is history.
Deadspin only did what it was supposed to do. If someone sends them photos of a player who's image is based on his victory over drugs and alcohol going wild in a bar, it's only right that the public knows this. There's been a mini-backlash against Deadspin for this, mostly because the photos don't actually show Hamilton drinking, and because some feel the Web site deliberately waiting until now to use seven-month-old photos to paint a negative picture about Hamilton. But what was Deadspin supposed to do, not run them? I may not agree with the subtext of delight Deadspin is taking taking in showing the photos ("look what Josh Hamilton is doing!") but it was Hamilton who engaged in those actions, Deadspin just posted the photos.
Is it fair? Probably not. Regular people wouldn't want their dirty laundry being aired out for the world to see. But this is the price professional athletes pay for being so visible to the public. As a celebrity, you can't go out and do body shots off a coed, because someone will have an incentive to reveal that fact.
For Hamilton, after overcoming his addictions (and having that fact stressed in magazines, TV shows, and books) the last thing he should have done was to go into a bar, let alone party with a group of girls. But he made a mistake. He's human. Now that the news has come out about it, he has to own up to his actions, like any one of us. But unlike most of us, Hamilton has to own up to those mistakes with the eyes of the entire world - fans, newspapers, blogs, TV, Radio - scrutinizing him.
And that's all Hamilton's fault. Despite his celebrity and his previous history, he chose to go into that bar and do the things he did. Don't make excuses for him, or berate Deadspin for exposing his indiscretions. But at the same time, don't label him an evil hypocrite, or think that this knocks a hero off a pedestal and now fans can never trust anyone.
Just think of him as somebody who did something he knew he shouldn't have done. He'll get skewered for it now, just like any of us would, only a little more publicly. Don't make it bigger or smaller than it is.
He's human, and he did something really, really stupid.
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