Pivot Points: Genius And The Fatally Flawed

The entertainment world is littered with stories of genius, and the inability to deal with the pressure that it entails. Personalities such as Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, and more recently, Michael Jackson, have been felled from personal demons.

Their struggles, are something that carries over to the world of sports, as many of our most beloved heroes have been trapped in the same downward spiral.

This anomaly exists in all sports, but the tragedy in basketball is magnified, because of the sad or brutal hand that destiny has dealt, such is the case of Len Bias.

Some people may not remember Bias, but for those that do, his death was shocking, sudden, and heartbreaking.

I have never been a fan of the Celtics, but I was a fan of Bias , and was enthralled when the Celtics made him their first pick in the draft.

I grew up watching Bias in the ACC, and his magnificent game was only overshadowed by his likable personality, he seemed to be a genuinely nice guy.

Media types had already anointed Bias as the savior of the Boston team, when his body was discovered in a hotel room, the apparent victim of an overdose.

The news was devastating, in the realization that he was dead, and in the fact that Bias had such a serious problem that had managed to go unnoticed for so long.

It was a tragedy that was hard to recover from, and something that haunted the Celtics' franchise for a number of years.

Michael Jordan's case may be just as depressing, but it never really garnered the press or attention that the Len Bias story did.

Jordan has been known to be a person of the gambling type for many years. It has been said that Jordan would make wagers on just about anything, and that it contributed to his fiercely competitive nature.

During his time in Chicago, a horrendous tragedy rocked the Jordan family, when his father James, turned up brutally murdered.

Although, arrests were made in the case, local speculation turned to Jordan's gambling addiction as a possible motive for the murder.

No connection was ever established between the two, but it brought Jordan's own personal demons to the forefront.

Until that time, Jordan had been considered impeccable, but the incident opened the door to other aspects of Jordan's life, such as his admitted infidelity.

None of this detracted from Jordan's dominance on the court, but it posed serious insights into his life, and somewhat tarnished his personal legacy.

Although those are two of the most memorable, their are countless others including, Magic Johnson and his womanizing, and subsequent HIV diagnosis, J.R. Rider and his inability to stay out of trouble, and many many more.

The fact that our heroes are human is sometimes lost in their ability to amaze us and impress us in their seemingly, inhuman feats.

Like us, they possess the same tragic flaws that impede, imprison, and damn our souls and physical well-being. The fact that their discretion's are put under a microscope, just enhance their struggles and highlight the notion, that like society we are all flawed.