Make a Wish

“Sportscenter” or rather ESPN and its many affiliates and programs, serve as the background noise of my life.  It seems they are always on, a constant sporting presence on TV while I do whatever else I am doing.  Most of the time, it’s pretty innocuous but every once in awhile a tear jerking special will run for the “Make a Wish Foundation.”  The basic gist is that the network will find some poor sick kid whose wish is to meet his or her athlete idol.

And the segment is always produced in the same way.  Start off with a high camera shot of some abandoned field or parking lot with a somber, slow voice over  explaining how in this small town, the people are known for this fastidious trait.  The voice over narration continues until the moment to sell comes and there is a reveal “for poor little Joe (or Jane), suffering from Death Disease 1 (the disease is usually something just fatal enough to be scary without being hopeless like cancer or auto-immune deficiency.  It never gets as serious as something like AIDS since that would presumably turn off many viewers who don’t want to imagine the kid getting his wish and then swiftly kicking the bucket).  Next we are given a review of the kid’s medical history, interviews with the parents and other authority figures who give anecdotes about the kid and their hero which they will soon meet, and interviews with the sick kid explaining why he admires the athlete in question.  Finally, the kid is whisked away to meet the athlete and the outcome is always the same.  The kid is terrified while the athlete awkwardly tries to explain what is happening.  Usually the segment will continue with the kid playing catching or doing something active with the athlete then receiving some sort of memorabilia (which I always assume is some sort of death parting gift but then I’m macabre).  Finally, the segment ends with the athlete and child saying their goodbyes.  All the while, sad, mood setting music plays through-out for maximum effect.

I’m never really sure how I should feel during these produced segments. Couldn’t something be done to spruce up the proceedings?  Do the segments ALWAYS have to follow the same recipe?  The obvious intended outcome (from the network’s point of view) is for the viewer to feel some sadness, maybe cry a little.  But I’m too cynical for that.  I often end up wondering how the parents of the sick kid could allow them to have athletes as role models.  How often are we as a society berating athletes for being selfish and/or getting embroiled in things such as sex scandals?  Aren’t we always saying how athlete’s AREN’T role models, but rather just highly skilled human beings, warts and all?  What’s the real message?  It’s OK to look up to an athlete so long as you had a serious disease?

Now listen, I’m all for a bit of happiness in the sucky life of some kid who has spent most of his childhood in and out of hospitals.  I’m not a total heartless turd (well maybe I am), but I’m also worried about the larger picture.  What about all the other sick kids?  How are these kids chosen?  Besides meeting the athletes, couldn’t there be a way for the network or team to donate some money towards research for the disease afflicting the (bald) kid? A signed jersey and some sporting paraphernalia isn’t going to replenish Johnny’s low white blood cell count.