Oscar De La Hoya's statue at Staples: the why of it all

I confess to being slightly taken aback at the debate over whether or not Oscar De La Hoya deserved to have himself depicted in a statue outside of Staples Center.

His 14-foot likeness, standing on the ropes in a celebration pose after a boxing victory, was unveiled for all Monday, near statues of other Los Angeles sports icons, the former Laker Magic Johnson and the former Kings hockey star Wayne Gretzky.

Here in Las Vegas, where De La Hoya will fight Manny Pacquiao in a 147-pound match that has become the biggest noisemaker of the year, there continues to be much debate over De La Hoya's statue-worthiness. Part of that is because our sports columnist, Bill Plaschke, wrote that maybe there are others more worthy, that maybe a boxer who hasn't won a lot recently and who has a business connection with the people who run Staples Center and decide on the statues doesn't quite make the cut.

The boxing community gathered here seems to have taken much exception to that stance, because to diss De La Hoya, boxing's main draw and most charismatic character over the last 10 years, is to diss the sport as a whole.

For what it's worth, I have a different take on this whole thing.

Why are any sports stars immortalized in statues?

Is what they do (for the entertainment of the rest of us and for large sums of money) worth a permanent place in our lives and those of the future generations? Are these the role models we want to point to -- as fine people as they are and as much as they have achieved under great gobs of pressure --when we tell our children that they are to emulate those who are now bronzed?

I think our country got it right with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

How about a place outside Staples Center for a statue of the unknown firefighter, who rousted people out of their homes around Los Angeles a few weeks ago and then manned the front lines with a hose?

How about a generic cop, a generic emergency room doctor, a generic scientist creating vaccines to keep us alive? How about a generic teacher, surrounded by teens, clearly eager to learn because this generic teacher has inspired them.

I know, that's pretty naive, kind of Pollyanna-like.

I take it back. Sorry I even brought it up. I guess I just slipped into a bad moment there, but I have recovered.

As I ponder it further, I can see that our world needs more multimillionaires in jockstraps to be the cornerstones of our future.

As a younger generation used to say, my bad.

-- Bill Dwyre

Photo: A 14-foot bronze statue in the likeness of Oscar De La Hoya stands in front of Staples Center. Credit: Harry How / Getty Images

   

Comments

[David Theiss]

Considering fans' collective attention span, in six months no one will be able to recall who the thing was supposed to represent regardless of whether an identifying plaque is included ("De La Who?"). And after Staples is torn down in 5 or 10 years, to make way for an even greater downtown, whether anyone deserves a statue there will be a moot point, anyway.

[MIke]

How bout Kareem, Greztky, Lasorda, Fernando, Jackie Robinson, Koufax, man you can go on and on. Lots of people deserve it over De La Hoya.

[Susan Ehring]

Why an athlete?

We put up statues of them posed in triumph or in motion of their sport. We are celebrating their ambition, passion, and natural talent. Their energy and drive for excellence often inspires the firefighters or police in their communities. They are used as models for students by teachers as what can be achieved when you stick to your goals.

We don't put up statues of them hanging out. We are picking one part of their life that managed to capture our attention. It is always disappointing when we learn that they are not as successful in their personal lives as they are in their professional lives. This can be said about your "everyday" heroes as well.

We always seek to emulate those that are the "best." Efforts to tear people down only lessens the experience for everyone. Let's enjoy the tribute to LA's "Golden Boy."

[Jeronimo Banuelos]

It is so upsetting that as soon as a Latino achieves fame and fortune, there are those egotists ready to try and demean us. It is pure jealousy. De la Hoya has done so many good things for our community, besides the great accomplishments he has in boxing. He has earned the right to be recognized.

[Ken]

I think Mr. Dwyre makes an excellent point - perhaps we SHOULD erect statues of firefighters, doctors, teachers, and the like. But perhaps we can find space near firehouses, hospitals, schools, libraries, civic centers, etc.

In the meantime, what's wrong with recognizing prominent LA sports figures outside of...our sports arena?

[Mando Pioquinto]

Maybe you should start writing about those same people you are mentioning? Oh yeah, it wouldn't be as exciting and you wouldn't get as many free trips around the country on the company. Silly me.

If anything, Oscar deserves it more because he's actually from LA.

[William Byron]

"The boxing community gathered here seems to have taken much exception to that stance, because to diss De La Hoya, boxing's main draw and most charismatic character over the last 10 years, is to diss the sport as a whole."

I appreciate this article sir, but I do wonder who you interviewed that represented the collective boxing community. Please believe me- De La Hoya does not represent boxing whatsoever. He is someone who is very handsome, who had some degree of skill, and came along at the right time, when boxing needed the next 'big star'- Oscar had legitimate skill, but no heart, and I can only applaud him sincerely for being very shrewd. This is not the people's champ, as the quoted statement implies. This is a guy not even loyal to his wife, who blames everyone else for his losses... not a hero in any sense of the word. A good looking guy with above average boxing skill (until about 2002), who was more appealing to the MAINSTREAM media than any other boxer. You know, I know absolutely NOTHING about basketball, but I can name Michael Jordan. So what does that say? People who know nothing about boxing can name Oscar De La Hoya- shows how much thats worth.

[Jason]

Could it be that Mr. Bill Dwyre is simply jealous of athletes because he could never become one. Maybe he was the kid in high school who was punked by the jocks ? maybe he was the kid that never got to be on to the school's team because he just couldn't cut it? People will always be envious of others success, arguing why their success is not deserving makes sound like a whiner.

[Luis della Rocco]

above average skil???!! if 10 wolrd titels in dont know how many different divisions and olympic gold is above average than I dont know how hight your standards are. he was always a great fighter and always tried to really fight the best and thats the heart of a champion to me, plus I can think of 2 loses that defenitly should not be in de la hoyas record and a debtable one but so close that i couldnt my self asure you like the other two... he is one of the most deserving boxers to have a statue for what he has done for the sport and gave us some of the best fights that anyone has seen in the past 12 years... yea he lost against pacquiao, so what!! manny pacquiao is a very good boxer and age catches up to every athlete, thats life. still not taking anything away from pacquiao though as he is one of my favorite boxers, but the golden boy will always be my inspiration and my favorite fighter ever.

[SanJoaquinValley]

The comment of the statue belonging in East L.A. is somewhat insulting to us Mexican Americans. But, what's even more insulting is the cold shoulder that De La Hoya rarely gets only more in these forums/comment postings. As an amateur he won the 1992 Olympics for the U.S., which spearheaded a career that many boxers like myself only dream about. So the mere notion that the statue belongs in the county's gang side of town is purely POLITICAL. Don't blink now but California's Mexican American population is the majority of the "minorities". Many like myself and Oscar are first generation Mexicans, I only mention this because I feel that's the real "argument" here. So for the people who want to stick us and his statue in the corner back alley somewhere, our Mexican heritage is here but mostly in still in it's infancy buddies!! Oh yeah BTW Oscar's PPV ratings #1...