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.

Must See TV

The Olympic television coverage was not all that it could be - too much time for some sports like beach volleyball, not enough time for others such as the decathlon, major track and field events on a 24 hour delay, hyperventilating announcers. But it was still high-caliber broadcasting and good theater, with striking visuals and our introduction to some delightful personalities. Not surprisingly, NBC executives are reported to be ecstatic over their product and its ratings. Unfortunately, throughout the 14 days of competition, we were inundated with promos for NBC's fall lineup and this served as a harsh reality check. After being uplifted by gifted young and not-so-young athletes, we are about to be downgraded to mind-numbing, tasteless sitcoms and pointless, violent crime shows - from the sublime to the abysmal. The smog will not only be returning to Beijing, it will be returning to prime time programming.