A horse in the headlines

By Mike Kaufmann

If you followed the story of Barbaro as closely I did, then you should be devastated after hearing news of him getting euthanized on Monday. And Barbaro will forever remain in our hearts.

Excuse me while I go watch paint dry.

Last time I checked, Barbaro was just a horse; not a human being. Since when do we give so much attention to the death of an animal?

Forgive my cynicism, but I've thought all along that Barbaro was nothing more than a horse who broke his leg during a race. And I'm quite certain that this isn't the first time such a tragedy has occurred -- why hasn't any other horse received national attention for it?

You could probably guess that I watch ESPN nearly every single day. And after reading these paragraphs you can probably guess that I tuned out whenever there was a "Barbaro update." I just don't see the value of reporting on this versus other stories.

I can imagine there are plenty of soldiers in Iraq who are far more deserving of the national attention that this thoroughbred received. And those same soldiers would be more than delighted to receive cards from the American public. But no, instead of increasing the morale of one of our soldiers overseas, we send get-well-soon cards to a horse and visit his stable.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for saving animals' lives, especially when they are in their time of need, and I truly don't have a problem with the severe amounts of medical treatment Barbaro received. But the media attention was just too much.

People claim the true appeal of Barbaro was that his owners gave him a chance to persevere. Most horses are euthanized immediately after they break a leg so they don't experience this incredible discomfort. But aren't there far better examples of hope and perseverance than a horse? I would certainly hope so.

I don't think I speak for just myself when I say that I never really cared about the Barbaro story. I attribute that mostly to the fact that, as a generation, we are growing less interested in the sport of horse racing.

With so many other great stories in the world, it amazes me that our media focused so heavily on the struggle of one horse.

Oh, but you know what? My dog is 14 and probably nearing the end of his life.

Does anybody have the number for CNN and ESPN?

Contact Mike Kaufmann at (408) 551-1918 or mlkaufmann@scu.edu.