Sports enthusiasts have a very human tendency to exalt the athlete above his proper station.
Reality eventually sets in - and there is something strangely reassuring when we are taught once again that no individual is larger than his sport.
Carrying that thought further, it can be downright comforting when we're reminded that even sport itself is not the ultimate pinnacle of life.
Such a revelation hit me recently in the Caster Semenya case.
With a heart for the underdog, I got in Semenya's corner from the time she lined up in the 800 meter final at Berlin's 2009 World Championships. True, she held the season's best time of 1:56.72 but was still relatively unknown. She came from humble roots in South Africa. She was only 18.
Almost immediately after her stunning victory, Semenya's world came crashing down.
Complaints, based on her athletic physique, husky voice, and decisive victory margin prompted suspicion - first toward drugs, then toward intentional deceit regarding gender.
Clearing Semenya of the drug charges was easy and almost painless.
Her notorious gender testing and public humiliation - aggravated by a lengthy ...
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