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FIRST PERSON: An open letter to Mike Tyson by Ted Kluck Date: Jun 5, 2009 |
GRAND LEDGE, Mich.(BP)--Dear Mike, As a fellow parent (two boys, 6 and 3) I was deeply saddened by the news of your loss this week. To be honest, I always cringe a little when I see your face in newspapers and magazines, feeling as though it can’t be good. And I’m always glad when said face isn’t accompanied by your obituary, as you have often compared your life to Sonny Liston’s – another ridiculously powerful, intimidating fighter who made big mistakes, lived fast and died young. You may remember a book I wrote about you in 2006 entitled “Facing Tyson: Fifteen Fighters, Fifteen Stories” (Lyons Press). Like all of my books, to date, that one also failed to bring me much in the way of fame and fortune. But it did give me the opportunity to see your last fight against Kevin McBride in 2005, and to interview a lot of guys who fought you – including Evander, Lennox, Pinklon, Marvis and Tony (Tubbs) among many others. To a man they spoke highly of you and felt a bond with you that, I suppose, extends only to guys who have fought with their hands for a living. There aren’t a lot of men walking this earth who did battle on the level that you did battle. Before the McBride fight I daydreamed about an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with you. I imagined running into you in some hallway of the MCI Center, and having the conversation that I’d wanted to have with you since I began praying for you after your fight with Lennox Lewis in 2002. The thing is, even though you’ve made very public mistakes, you’ve also been very forthright about the fact that you’ve sinned, and it’s always been my belief that you understand your need for a redeemer better than many Christians. You’ve experienced nearly all of the money, sex, fame and glory that the world can provide, and have been honest about the fact that you’ve found them all to be completely lacking. I wrote in my book that this is what utter despair and depression must feel like. However, upon further reflection, I think there’s not much difference between you and the author of Ecclesiastes, my favorite book of the Bible. You should give it a read. And like St. Augustine in “Confessions,” you spoke frankly about sexual sins, and of stealing for the sheer thrill of it. You should read that too. Needless to say I didn’t get to share the gospel with you after the McBride fight, but I did get to stand in the concourse for several hours and listen to you talk. At the end of your press conference, you said that “Life isn’t about what you acquire, life is about losing everything.” It was a striking quote, and something that could have come out of the pages of a hipsterish, Stuff-White-People-Like book like “Fight Club” – the kind of book that is read and championed by people who rarely, if ever, have to lose anything, much less everything. But even then I knew you didn’t mean it that way. I knew you meant that you were actually in the process of losing everything. I can only imagine how much you grief you must be feeling over the loss of your daughter. You’re not OK. And the last thing you need now is someone telling you that you’re OK. Your heart, like mine, is sick, and in a constant state of rebellion – a wrong that can only be righted by the atoning work of the man in whose image you were created. Read Marvis Frazier’s chapter in my book (I know, a lot of reading), and then read the book of Romans. And know that not everyone in sports hates you. Sincerely, Ted A. Kluck Author of “Facing Tyson: Fifteen Fighters, Fifteen Stories” and lifelong fan --30-- Ted Kluck is the author of several books, and the recipient of the 2009 Christianity Today Book of the Year Award for his co-authored book, “Why We’re Not Emergent (by Two Guys Who Should Be).” Visit him online at www.tedkluck.com.
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FIRST PERSON: An open letter to LeBron “King” James -6/19/2009 FIRST PERSON: An open letter to Mike Tyson -6/5/2009 FIRST PERSON: On Alex Rodriguez, steroids and hope -2/12/2009 FIRST PERSON: Learning to love Kurt Warner -1/21/2009 | |
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