Marion Jones Meet Jim Thorpe

Marion Jones was released from federal prison recently, mercifully to little fanfare. She had completed a six-month sentence for lying to federal prosecutors about steroid use and a check fraud scheme. The images of the young woman surrendering to federal authorities were a reminder of the sometimes transient nature of fame and fortune. One of the most popular, graceful and recognizable female athletes was reduced to a broken woman - stripped of her Olympic medals and separated from her young children.

While different in many respects, the Marion Jones soap opera is eerily similar to that of another track phenom from a century earlier, Jim Thorpe, who was proclaimed the world's greatest athlete after winning the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympics. Thorpe too had to relinquish his Olympic gold; in his case, he had violated his amateur status by playing semipro baseball for $2 a game. For the rest of his life, Thorpe, who was part Native American, would have to fight racism, alcoholism and extreme poverty. Ironically, if Jim Thorpe were competing today, his Olympic victories would bring him unimaginable millions, his picture on Wheaties boxes, and his own talk show. But in early 20th century America, the part Fox and Sac Indian always seemed to be on the outside looking in.

If Marion Jones is feeling sorry for herself, she might look at the Jim Thorpe story. Although Jones' adversity has aged her prematurely, she is still a young woman with the opportunity to turn her life around. She might start by choosing her friends more carefully.