On the Couch : By Dr. Richard Lustberg

An Analysis of Current Topics and Issues in Sport
March 1995

Giants Extra proudly introduces Richard Lustberg, Phd, who will be analyzing occurrences in the NFL according to how and why they impact fans so greatly. Fans can look forward to reading Dr. Lustberg’s insights regularly.

Based upon the media upheaval, tumult and outcry over former Giant quarterback Phil Simms’ dismissal and signing with the Cleveland Browns, you would think that nobody ever gets fired in this country, let alone in sports. Well let’s see, former Red Sox manager Butch Hobson, former Madison Square Garden executive Bob Gutkowski and Michigan State head football coach George Perles are just a recent few in the sporting arena. Actually, the coverage for some of the above named luminaries exceeded the news of the recent Republican landslide victory. Given the current state of morals and values in this country, perhaps we should be more concerned with the election process.

The termination of honest, hardworking everyday people as well as big-time executives happens all the time in America. The computer executive of 25 years is told to turn in his keys on a Friday with little or no fanfare. Thirty middle managers are told to pack their bags in an industry downsizing. A major supermarket chain goes under and minimum wage workers are on the street. An extremely capable employee who just happens to be on the boss’s bad side for no discernible reason is fired. It happens all the time and nobody even sheds a tear except, of course the people who were let go and their friends and families.

There were times when Phil Simms, despite all of his accomplishments, was not the beloved figure he is now. This is only happening partially in retrospect, as people reflect upon his career and departure, especially the manner in which his departure was orchestrated. This is really a human-interest story on a number of different levels, one that also pertains to both the on and off-field aspects of Simms’ lengthy career with the Giants and the reaction of the fans and the media.

I asked Dave Anderson of the New York Times why he thought that people were so upset over Phil Simms’ dismissal given that this was an everyday occurrence for so many people. In addition, Simms’ 15 years far surpassed the average NFL career span of three years. Anderson, in part, responded that "Phil Simms threw touchdown passes and won two Super Bowls," that response is right on target in his observation that the sheer entertainment and joy that Simms provided us through his on-field accomplishments helped to create a special bond. There are other reasons for our taking umbrage with Simms’ sudden departure from the Giants and they go beyond our appreciation of his on-field performances. First, the fact that so many of us witnessed his achievements on television and read about him in the media for so many years helped create a unique relationship. He was a regular in our living rooms on Sundays during the football season. It has been my experience that vicarious investments in others’ lives and achievements, which we often do with professional athletes, create strong emotional ties.

In addition, we can all relate to being demoted when a new boss comes in, as Simms was when Ray Handley became the Giant coach. How many of us would have been able to handle the situation the way Simms did with such class and dignity? How many of us secretly wish that an unappreciative boss who demoted us would be fired and our chief rival banished? Fans found solace when Phil Simms triumphantly returned to the starting lineup after Handley and Hostetler departed. Phil Simms certainly lived out a lot of fantasies for many of us. At one point, there actually was the possibility of his coming back and playing against his old team. Fiction writers cream about his kind of story plot.

The Giants’ current standing makes Phil Simms’ forced retirement all the more difficult to swallow. One cannot help but wonder if all the talk about Simms would have occurred if the Giants had made the playoffs and not gone through a seven-game losing streak. I suspect that it would not have gone on to the extent that is has, although natural comparisons to the team’s new quarterbacks and the lingering reactive effects of his banishment have made it a lively topic discussion.

Phil Simms’ unceremonious exodus has been followed by various explanations from both the owner and coach that have been consistently critiqued and probed in the press. Both sportswriters and fans can relate to be fired. Moreover, many fans and members of the media thought they were being lied to about the reasons why Simms was let go. Nobody likes to think they are being lied to. These are aspects we can all relate to, and I believe that it is these pieces of the puzzle that touch some of the deepest emotional chords within us. We can also all relate to similar feelings people experience when they are terminated. Feelings of rejection, anger, denial, and being unappreciated are just to name a few. Often people go into depression, and worry about where their next paycheck will come from. Luckily for Simms, this last aspect is not the case.

Given his celebrity status, we sometimes tend to forget that Phil Simms is a human being with all of the associated frailties and emotions the rest of us have. While he has tried to maintain his dignity in public, some of his responses to media questions have given us a glimpse of some of the angers and frustrations he as experienced. Who can forget Simms’ classic response to Commissioner Paul Tagliabuc’s statement that Simms wanted to retire and pursue a career with ESPN.

Forced retirement from a loved avocation is a daunting prospect for many. Nobody likes to be told they cannot work anymore due to age, decline in skill, company finances or policy. I suspect what has made this all the more difficult for Simms was that it effectively ended his playing career in professional sports. Thus, he has to deal with both the emotional and psychological effects of being let go and retiring – a heavy double whammy.

Phil Simms recovered with a successful stint with ESPN and a free agent contract with the Browns. However, in a Utopian world, Simms would still be wearing Giant blue. Maybe his termination reminded us that we do not live in such a place. This was not the first or the last time that such events have occurred, or are going to occur. Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life for all of us.