Camurri | American Mythology

It has often been said that the legendary figures in sports represent the most authentic form of American mythology.
To name just a few athletes: Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin; Rocky Marciano, the undefeated world heavyweight champion; and the antithetic archrivals Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, who literally dominated professional basketball in the Sixties.
But, in my opinion, the aura of mythology is mainly found in baseball. The first idolized athlete in this sport who comes to mind is undoubtedly Babe Ruth, the “Bambino”. Babe Ruth, who is widely regarded as the greatest baseball player of all time, was one of the “first five” inaugural members of Baseball Hall of Fame. The superstitious curse known as “Curse of the Bambino” is one of the main aspects of the intense rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.
Lou Gehrig was undeniably a great baseball champion: among his many accomplishments, the record for most consecutive games played, a record that stood for more than half a century. But his unending popularity is largely due to his incurable illness, that is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as “Lou Gehrig disease”, which forced him to retire. During an iconic and moving farewell speech at Yankee Stadium, he defined himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth”. He died two years later.
Joe DiMaggio was another formidable baseball player who transcended the confines of his sport to become a really prominent figure in American culture. In 1941 DiMaggio, who was born to Sicilian immigrants, set the record for the longest hitting streak, a record which still stands today. His widespread popularity is shown by the fact that he has been cited in various songs, most notably in “Mrs Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel and “Vogue” by Madonna. Anyway, he was, and still is, so incredibly famous mainly because he married Marylin Monroe, another outstanding pop culture icon.

Foto di Mick Haupt