Walking with giants
Cory Smith
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Sports
Kobe Bryant is an 11-time all-star, NBA MVP, NBA finals MVP and four-time world champ. Lebron James has made all five all-star games and won the NBA MVP in just five years. Shaquille O'Neal is a 15-time all star who has won three NBA MVP awards and four world championships, as well as made a few terrible rap albums.
Michael Phelps won 14 gold medals in the last two Olympics with a record-breaking eight at the 2008 games, and who could forget, the fastest man in history, Usain Bolt's performance at those same games.
I realized that none of these are giants today, but perhaps we will one day be able to tell our children we watched these greats while their legends were being built.
It reminded me of one of my favorite movies, "Troy." Brad Pitt and Eric Bana deliver uber-manly performances as Achilles and Hector of Troy, and their battle is one of my favorite fight scenes ever. The movie ends with Odysseus's words, "If they ever tell my story, let them say that I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say that I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles."
Our forefathers can say that they lived in the time of the giants of Aaron and Ali, Namath and Sayers and Kareem and Wilt. Perhaps one day we will be able to awe our children and grandchildren the same way, and let them say we lived in the time of Phelps and Lebron, Kobe and Mariano, and Favre and Bolt. Let them say we walked with giants.
Michael Phelps won 14 gold medals in the last two Olympics with a record-breaking eight at the 2008 games, and who could forget, the fastest man in history, Usain Bolt's performance at those same games.
I realized that none of these are giants today, but perhaps we will one day be able to tell our children we watched these greats while their legends were being built.
It reminded me of one of my favorite movies, "Troy." Brad Pitt and Eric Bana deliver uber-manly performances as Achilles and Hector of Troy, and their battle is one of my favorite fight scenes ever. The movie ends with Odysseus's words, "If they ever tell my story, let them say that I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say that I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles."
Our forefathers can say that they lived in the time of the giants of Aaron and Ali, Namath and Sayers and Kareem and Wilt. Perhaps one day we will be able to awe our children and grandchildren the same way, and let them say we lived in the time of Phelps and Lebron, Kobe and Mariano, and Favre and Bolt. Let them say we walked with giants.
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