THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 20, 1997 TAG: 9701200148
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
LENGTH: 62 lines
Dennis Rodman is guilty as charged of being a revolting human being and a bad so-called role model for our impressionable youth.
An open-and-shut case. Not even Johnnie Cochran would touch this one.
But before Rodman goes down, he's taking others with him. Without accomplices, you see, Rodman could never have had this kind of impact on us.
Bad role models can also be found among the people who protect Rodman. Who excuse his inappropriate behavior.
Phil Jackson, supposedly a man of depth and honor, immediately tried to make a joke out of Rodman's swift kick to the groin of cameraman Eugene Amos in Minneapolis the other night.
``It looked like he got kicked in the leg, then all of a sudden (Amos) came up with that falsetto,'' Jackson said.
When decent people stand up for Rodman, they demean themselves. Worse, they sanction his sleazy antics.
In the name of franchise solidarity, one supposes, teammate Scottie Pippen took the side of the unprovoked attacker against the innocent attackee. But anybody who condones Rodman's psycho routine sends a message to the kids.
What must Michael Jordan think of all this? You would like to believe that, by now, a professional of his stature has grown weary of shrugging off Rodman's childish escapades.
Before Rodman's lengthy suspension is complete, will the most powerful, influential man in sports say something to distance himself from this cretin?
Probably not. But as a so-called role model, a mega-model, isn't it Jordan's responsibility to make a statement? Wouldn't it carry more weight than the judgment of assorted newspaper writers?
Not that even Jordan could slow the Rodman celebrity machine. Rodman may be a nut job, but his aberrance is amplified by the pop culture, which has turned a certified weirdo into an icon.
Don't think the kids haven't noticed. Don't think that Rodman's image doesn't resonate with the kids.
There is no reason to believe that this latest suspension won't simply increase Rodman's popularity. He was suspended last season for head-butting a referee. It only enhanced his eminence. Since then, he's been all over the tube. Talk shows. Commercials. MTV.
The show-biz set love him in that phony way Hollywood embraces the trendy and superficial. The public, in turn, embraces him because he is the media's darling.
Oprah lent Rodman credibility when she had him on her show for an up-close-and-personal, touchy-feely, let's-get-past-the-nose-rings-and-tattoos televised therapy session.
This makes Oprah an accessory. Leno and Letterman, too. Any adult who finds Rodman cute or captivating is guilty of helping to make him a poor role model.
Every time an adult fawns over Rodman, it gives kids the wrong idea. Consciously or subconsciously, the young get the message that Rodman's behavior is amusing and acceptable.
Not even a gifted exhibitionist can become this rich and famous without a lot of support from people who should know better. If America is a sound stage for TV freak shows, Rodman's grotesque parading of a warped psyche is perfect family entertainment.
In other words, Rodman should not take this rap alone. That's the easy way out. Also eligible for indictment are his confederates, the people who indulge him. Us.
Dennis Rodman is our creation. Deal with it.