The Strange Prominence of Barbaro
When I found out Barbaro died, my reaction was pretty insubstantial. It’s not that I don’t feel bad for the horse, or that I don’t feel bad for the people who owned or cared about the horse. But with everything there is to be concerned about in the world, I find the death of a horse to be a somewhat minor tragedy.
So imagine my surprise when Charles Gibson reported at the top of last evening’s broadcast of World News Tonight about the death of Barbaro. I can only imagine what Peter Jennings would have thought. Maybe he’d have read it first. But I just can’t see Jennings reading the story, then going to a correspondent at the Pentagon for a report about the war.
So let me get this straight. America is engaged in two wars where people are dying every day. And the first story, on a world news program, is the death of a horse? It’s not that I don’t like animals. I’ll admit to crying when my dogs died. But I don’t ever remember so much significance placed on the death of an animal.
Barbaro may have inspired people; he may have made people happy. In that sense, I understand the sadness. But I couldn’t help but laugh when I read the Associated Press story by Dan Gelston, in which David Switzer (executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association) remarked, apparently with a straight face, that “this horse was a hero.”
I have always been cautious of using the term “hero” in sports. Of course, my main fear was in using it to describe players like John Elway or Derek Jeter, as it would equate them with soldiers, police, and firefighters. But by using “hero” and “horse” in the same sentence, Switzer has practically ruined the term. And what exactly did Barbaro do to earn “hero” status?” I’ll admit that animals can be heroes, but most of them have to do something heroic. If a dog saves a child from a burning house, the dog is a hero.
I have never owned a horse, so maybe that’s the reason for me not understanding the significance of this story. To me, a horse is a horse. I’m sure people who own horses understand, and people who saw Barbaro win the Kentucky Derby live understand.But I don’t.