Death On Site: Losing Generational Superstars

(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

In the '90s, Steve McNair become the new “face” of African-Americans quarterbacks, especially after he led the Titans to their first ever Super Bowl appearance.

Seeing these larger the life figures pass on to the other side isn’t something that we are used to, at least not my generation. My parents lost JFK, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, RFK, Elvis, John Lennon, and more.

Watching the reaction to the death of Michael Jackson, we aren’t handling it so well. There have been seven reported suicides because of his passing and more than 1.6 million people have requested tickets to his memorial service in Los Angeles.

While Steve McNair’s death will not receive as much attention as Jackson's, it does not take away from the importance.

McNair was only the second black quarterback ever to start in a Super Bowl and was close to winning the Heisman Trophy while attending Alcorn State in Mississippi.

Judging by time and history, this will not the first time we’ll have to deal with losing such large and iconic figures in our time. I just hope that we are equipped to deal with tragedy when the time comes.

But then again, who truly is?

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