Gamecock fans might not have realized it, but we needed Marcus Lattimore’s story right now
I’ll admit it. I teared up reading Hallie Grossman’s ESPN profile on Marcus Lattimore, which was published Oct. 27.
The profile revealed the immense pressure to live up to expectations Lattimore felt during his time as a running back for the South Carolina Gamecocks and the internal conflict that pressure created.
“The pressure just kept building every year. More pressure, more pressure,” he said in the profile. “And even when I retired, I still felt pressured to be something, to be this person for everybody. I was so focused on how people viewed me. And people viewed me as this hero.
“I had to put on a cape every day.”
Lattimore was a highly recruited running back at Byrnes High School in Duncan, SC who earned nearly all the accolades a young player could receive. He was seen as the face of the University of South Carolina when he chose the school and as a representation of Palmetto State pride. He lived up to his hype, surpassing it even, as a rusher for the Gamecocks. A knee injury in 2011 set him back, and another devastating knee injury during the 2012 season led to the end of his football career. In total, he had nearly 2,700 rushing yards for Carolina. Though he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2013, he never took an in-game snap. He retired from playing football in 2014 and went into coaching and player development.
In a poignant moment describing the admiration he received as an athlete and iconic University of South Carolina figure, Lattimore said, “You get to a point where you see people don’t see you.”
Lattimore may have moved to Oregon to escape the burdens of his deification in his home state, but he’s still allowing South Carolina and Gamecock fans to reflect on humility and empathy as if he’s here.
After a crushing loss to Missouri on Saturday, Gamecock football fans, myself included, need a reminder of humility, empathy, the pressure that those who hit the field place on themselves. Fans need to see the players’ humanity.
One Saturday, Gamecock fans are ready to bow before the players’ feet, and the next they want the staked heads of everyone who took the field or stood on the sidelines. I’m guilty of it myself, but the profile of Lattimore reminded me that no one sitting in the stands of Williams-Brice Stadium or in front of their television is capable of feeling the weight of losing and the demand for success like the players.
Gamecock fans seem angrier at coaches right now than the players, but scroll through social media and you’ll find fans lashing out at anyone, including reporters.
The intoxication of beating Texas A&M and the nausea of losing to Missouri may instigate emotional extremes. But before building a player up or tearing one down, Gamecock fans should remember that the young men in garnet and black are human.
They aren’t just some image on your television meant to bring you exhilaration or incur your wrath. I’ve expressed plenty of the latter. I can think of tweets in years prior criticizing former Gamecock kicker Parker White after he missed field goal goals. I regret those now. I shudder to think White might have stumbled over my tweets and felt anything akin to shame because, in my tantrum, I couldn’t stop my chicken-wing-grease-and-sauce-covered fingers from tapping on my phone.
This is not to say that players or, especially, coaches — who get paid obscene amounts — are above reproach. They aren’t. But criticism should be fair, level-headed and humane.
Gamecock fans: Before before you criticize, before you tweet or post angry messages, stop and think of the human in the uniform or standing on the sidelines, the pressures they feel, their own desires to succeed. Or maybe go read that profile on Lattimore. It’ll turn anger into tears of sadness and joy.
This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 9:10 AM with the headline "Gamecock fans might not have realized it, but we needed Marcus Lattimore’s story right now."