HAS FREAK BECOME THE NORM?

Let's go back to the film, 'Gladiator,' which graphically depicted the violent voyeurism that became commonplace in the glory days of the Roman Empire. So many people and animals were killed for sport in the Roman Coliseum, that, eventually, Roman Emperors resorted to heightened acts of violence in order to please the bored crowd that had become immune to the mundane killing. Disabled men, women, and children were sacrificed. Little people were carved up by professional gladiators. In order to satiate the spectators' blood lust, the organizers of the games were willing to shock, surprise, and sicken the audience with brutal, tasteless displays of violence.

How far we've come.

The latest freak show to rear its ugly 'Fifteen minutes of fame' head, is Miley Cyrus. In an almost unwatchable attempt to mix pornography with Lady Gaga, Madonna, Gene Simmons, and hip-hop music, on last week's MTV Video Music Awards show, the former Hannah Montana became the latest celebrity to, like the organizers of the gladiatorial games, confuse shock value with talent in order to attract attention.

In cable TV America, "celebrities" don't do anything anymore. There used to be comedians, singers, dancers, and folks with actual talents. Today, one can tune into The Learning Channel, yes, the Learning Channel, and watch a show about the man with the 132-pound scrotum.

There's Honey Boo Boo, the Housewives of every big U.S. city, the Amish Mafia, Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, and, of course, the Kardashian's.

Freak has become the norm, and it seems as though Americans both love it, and attempt to emulate it.

Have we become the Roman Empire? Do our entertainment icons reflect the values of our times?

I become frustrated at times, but I think not.

Since the beginning of time, weather catastrophes have claimed countless lives. Today, in an instant, we are made aware of a hurricane, tornado, or tidal wave. We see the graphic images, and we they become a part of us. It is the same with the world of shock entertainment. We have more cable channels, with more minutes to fill, so we see shows about conjoined twins, and people with 300-pound tumors.

The other night, however, I watched an HBO documentary about Marty Glickman, a famous New York City sportscaster for many years. I never knew that Marty, as a young Jewish athlete, participated in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, in front of Adolf Hitler. U.S. Olympic officials kept Marty, and another Jewish sprinter, Sam Stoller, from participating in the 4x100 relay, in order to not further anger Hitler. The relay, in which Jesse Owens was one of the participants, was won easily by the Americans. Bitter, but undeterred, Glickman devoted his life to helping kids of all races, colors and creeds, while becoming one of the most prolific sportscasters of the late 20th century.

On the same track, at the 1936 Olympics, young Louie Zamperini ran the 5000-meter event. His story of courage and bravery, told in the book, 'Unbroken,' is one of the most inspiring stories I've ever read.

Freak reached a despicable low late in the summer when Rolling Stone placed a picture of the Boston bomber on its front cover. Let's hear instead about Jeff Bauman, who, due to the cowardly act of the bombers, lost both of his legs while waiting for his girlfriend to finish the race.

My daughter Kelly, and her fiancé, Mike Silvestrini, are running next month's Chicago Marathon for Team in Training, but specifically for Mike's mother, who passed away from leukemia two years ago.

Across the country, runners raised millions of dollars for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Every day runners are out there getting in shape to run a race in which they are running for more than themselves.

No, freak is not the norm. Freaks are freaks, and it is our right not to celebrate them. I will boycott anything or any writer remotely related to Rolling Stone for the rest of my life. I wasn't even sure if MTV still existed, but I'll NEVER watch it. Remember the golden rule in America: "He who has the gold makes the rules." Tune in to a trash TV program, jot down the sponsors, and boycott them. Conversely, support those sponsors who donate to your local races. Note the networks and channels that cover track and field and marathons, and support those sponsors who advertise on the event.

Finally, just like the entertainers of old, we runners "do something." We don't attract publicity by displaying freakish behavior. We train, go to races, pay our entry fees, and do what we do best: run.

There are 40 million of us in America today.

The freaks don't have a chance.