The Sports Truth

Jordin Sparks is gaining a great deal of momentum on American Idol.

And now the 17-year old daughter of a former Giants great is receiving support from a recently retired Giants great: Tiki Barber.

“I played with her father, Phillippe Sparks, about eight, ten years ago,” says Barber. “He was the cornerback. I remember Jordin when she was a little girl at the Giants games.”

Moreover, Jordin has fond memories of Barber, as well.

“I saw an interview that she did and she said her favorite player was me! It’s interesting how life brings itself back around ten years later,” Tiki told People magazine.

Interesting, sure, but doesn’t he need to be hitting phones on Tuesday nights to vote for his old teammate’s daughter?

“I know, right? I really do,” he says. “Maybe I’ll get all my friends to vote for her, too.”

Why is one man’s decision to retire permission for others to react?

Minutes after Tiki Barber’s decision to retire from the New York Giants at season’s end was reported by the New York Times, others chimed in. Since then the opinions have not stopped. And the fallout has nothing to do with Barber’s feelings, only everyone else’s.

Among media and fans, there has been shock, denial, worry, acceptance and a fair share of criticism.

The pervading sense seemed tinged with betrayal: How could someone in the prime of his career, holding the key to the Super Bowl hopes of his franchise, have the gall to walk away?

It’s an odd relationship fans have with athletes. We do more than cheer; we help determine legacies. In pro sports, the timing of a retirement is among the most scrutinized subjects. Some athletes are criticized for playing too long, others not long enough.

As if it’s our place to say.

“There is something fundamentally wrong about that,” Barber told the Times. “Because as someone who has ownership over my own life, and has been given the God-given thing that all of us have, which is free will, I should be able to choose when I want to leave and if I want to stay.”

Tiki was torched this week by a number of “journalists,” including none other than Michael Irvin, the former Cowboys receiver and current ESPN analyst. By announcing his intention to retire now, Barber is a distraction in Irvin’s warped mind.

Note that the Giants’ all-time leading rusher and receiver announced his plans two weeks ago. New York has soundly beaten Atlanta and (fittingly), the Tony Romo-led Cowboys in its last two games. Clearly he’s distracting to fans and reporters, but not to the only 52 people who matter.

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