SPORTSMANSHIP AND FAME AND WAR
By Andy Weddington
Thursday, 19 March 2026
Everybody will be famous for 15 minutes. - Andy Warhol
"To me, sportsmanship is when a guy walks off the court and you can't tell whether he won or lost," said Jim Courier, tennis champion, during an interview.
Mr. Courier had his 15 minutes.
By now most folks paying any attention to current events have heard the name Joe Kent.
Mr. Kent, until two days ago President Trump's Director, National Counterterrorism Center, is amidst his 15 minutes of (global) fame.
He resigned, in protest to war with Iran, in a one-page letter to President Trump.
His first sentence (20 words) and last sentence (15 words) did the job.
Frankly, 15 words or less in one sentence would have been plenty.
But Mr. Kent felt it necessary to opine - 355 words - between his opening and closing sentences.
For all sorts of reasons, words he should have said in private to the President.
He left the arena not as sportsman.
So now, throughout media, winner/loser matches rage - stoked by umpires, non-participants, and spectators desperate for their 15 minutes.
Mr. Kent served 20 years (11 combat deployments) in the U.S. Army. His wife, a Sailor, while on duty abroad was killed by suicide bomber.
That's sacrifice.
But not an excuse.
In war, stand with the President.
Hollow fame, however long the 15 minutes, is not sportsmanship nor helpful.
Before long it'll be, "Joe who?"
Though the President's name and number(s) will be memorized by schoolchildren on and on and on.
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1 comment:
Less is better. Always. What’s a “combat deployment”? He above all others should understand what Iran has done to Americans across the globe for 47 years. He was still in diapers when the Barracks blew up in 1983. His credibility with me is ZERO!
Semper Fidelis!
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