Perception is Reality. Image is Everything. Those have been two idioms that have defined American culture for the better part of two decades now. What one appears to be, or is defined as being, overshadows what one actually is and does. Two examples from last week in the world of basketball drove that point home for me.

First, Bill Self. Despite having built the foundation for a winning program at Oral Roberts, taken Tulsa to unprecedented heights, reached the Elite Eight and assembled the talent Bruce Weber led to the national title game at Illinois, and led Kansas to regional finals in two of his first four years, Self was viewed by many as a coach who failed in the big moments. NCAA losses to Bucknell and Bradley overshadowed what was, in reality, one of the best resumes in all of college basketball. Critics pointed out that Self was tied for the most regional final appearances without reaching a Final Four. The irony of the fact he was tied with a Hall of Famer was lost on the naysayers. Suddenly, Kansas dispatches Davidson, drubs North Carolina, and survives Memphis and Self is now brilliant? Of course not. Self was one of the top 10 coaches in the nation before he won last Monday night. All that has changed is the perception.

The other case in point is Stephen Jackson. A huge portion of the American sports viewing public sees Jackson through the lens of the Malice In The Palace. He represents to them every negative stereotype they project upon the NBA. Malevolent. Thuggish. Undisciplined. These are the type of buzzwords they use. Jackson represents, to those who choose not to move beyond image, the perfect poster child for all that is wrong with professional basketball. However, using that simplistic prism leaves one blind to the truth. By taking sound bites and video clips as the definition of the man, one misses the story of his tough upbringing. One is denied the understanding of the incidents in Jackson’s past that make him so fiercely defensive of those close to him, teammates included. Of course, that would require getting past the superficial. Instead, many take the easy way out and simply make snap judgments about fights with belligerent fans and incidents outside night clubs without knowing the real facts or the back story. It’s simpler that way. Saturday was Stephen Jackson Day in San Francisco. The mayor issued a proclamation and a public basketball court was dedicated in his honor. This was done in recognition of the copious amount of community and charity work Stephen Jackson has done in the Bay Area. Did Stephen suddenly transform into a good citizen upon landing in California? Of course not. He’s always been a loyal teammate and friend, as well as an athlete who uses his stature to help worthy causes. It’s sad it took last year’s magical Golden State playoff run to begin to get people past the superficial.

In closing, sports is, as has been so aptly stated many times before, the toy department of life. The games, while important, aren’t life and death. However, our games and how we view the participants can be very telling about the culture at large. Perception is Reality. Image is Everything. Are those really the concepts we want to embrace in America? I would hope we all would strive to be better informed and not allow an old Andre Aggasi marketing slogan to be a guiding principle. Sports, and the country in general, deserves better.