Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay is a lesson in humanity

Thanks to an upcoming book and documentary, late Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay is back in the public eye.

I think that there has always been a tacit understanding among us when we refer to professional athletes as “heroes”. To many, Roy Halladay fit this mold, especially as he was putting the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career during his time with the Philadelphia Phillies.

But baseball, or any sport, doesn’t create real heroes, something that rings even more true right now in the midst of a global crisis. Still, we attach ourselves to sports because the people who play them display such admirable qualities, which can then lead to us assigning hero status to them. Roy Halladay seemingly had it all, as his unwavering commitment to the game of baseball and legendary work ethic led to a marvelous MLB career. But little did we know how tormented Halladay was, how utterly flawed.

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He was just like the rest of us in this way. Human.

Halladay had unique talents and a willpower that hardly anyone else possesses, but the recently unearthed issues that he had with mental illness and substance abuse should function as a wake-up call to the rest of us. Nobody is immune to the human condition, not even those who seem superhuman like Roy Halladay so often did on a baseball diamond.

More than ever, people are feeling alone and isolated right now. They’ve lost loved ones, jobs, and perhaps any and all feeling of security. The same demons that Halladay faced are so prevalent in society today, yet many continue to feel like they have to fight battles alone. Ultimately, it was this kind of thinking that contributed to Halladay’s death in a plane crash. I’m not a mental health expert, so I can’t tell you if this tragedy was preventable or not. But I can tell you that Halladay’s final moments and the path that led him there can still serve a greater purpose as a cautionary tale for those who have to battle to make it through each day. It’s never too late to get help, to talk to someone. Even the greats, like Roy Halladay, can’t do it by themselves.

It will be interesting to see how Halladay’s upcoming biography as well as the ESPN documentary deal with his struggles after leaving the game of baseball. And while I’m sure the subject matter will be treated respectfully, some might see these revelations as damaging Halladay’s image and his Hall of Fame legacy. But it really shouldn’t be. We can disagree with the behavior, but it’s not fair to judge another human being for things that he perceived as being out of his control and which he was ultimately unable to overcome. It’s a heartbreaking tale, and one that shouldn’t have played out the way it did, but it in no way takes away from what Roy Halladay gave to Phillies fans and everyone who loves baseball.

The strive for perfection on the mound haunted Roy Halladay, and he tried to fill the gap in his life when he knew that such a thing was no longer possible. Let’s at least take a painful lesson from him to cherish the triumphs in our lives, no matter what they might be, while also accepting all the rest as best we can. And if we are having an exceedingly difficult time, we owe it to ourselves to get help in whatever manner possible. We should never feel bad or guilty or damaged about that kind of thing.

It’s just part of being human, like it was for Roy Halladay. His struggles have not taken away who he was and what he accomplished. And that goes for us “ordinary” people out there too.