Terror and Terrorism – An Entirely Different Perspective

The fortnight leading up to 9/11 this year witnessed an announcement by two major terrorists – One gave up his arms in front of thousands of New Yorkers and other promised to follow suit later next month. The latter then confessed to have taken the decision during the July 4 weekend celebrations in the United States.

While both of these terrorists operate in different environments and follow completely different modus operandi, there definitely is a striking similarity between the two – “The German Connection” is just an example. Both men, currently in their late 30’s, dedicated themselves to the business of terror at a very early age. Their mentors – Their Fathers – Who provided them with the right weapons and an impetus at a very young age.

While the latter has had links with Middle East Asia (Also spotted in Istanbul, Turkey 2 weeks prior to 9/11) just over the last few years, the former’s ancestors are from Iran. In fact, his father has been on Iran’s Olympic boxing team. They neither have links with Osama Bin Laden nor with Al-Qaeda. Their non-association with the Osama, however, does not stop them from being super rich. Their riches are no guarded secret – On the contrary, they have no qualms about flaunting them in public.

Their terror net has surpassed all geographical boundaries and spread across continents. They’ve ruled the roost for a good couple of decades – Starting as “boys next door” to becoming the “badshah’s of terror”. Both at their dangerous best when the world didn’t see a serious threat in them. When written off, they would do something so spectacular that it would force the world to stand up and take notice. Never satisfied with their achievements, going that extra mile to hit an ace was what they were trained to do!

These terrorists are one with a difference – They have a heart of gold. It is widely believed that the latter’s charities surpass that of a number of head honchos, corporate houses and countries. He also has an association with UNESCO. The former has done his bit for the children and the youth.

Confused!!?!

The Lead-Up to 9/11/2006

The former, Iranian-American Andre Agassi (36), associated with ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and the latter, German Michael Schumacher (37) associated with FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) have decided to call it a day on 09/03 and 09/10 respectively. Both, Schumacher and Agassi have spread terror (amongst opponent circles) in the fields of tennis and motor racing over the last few years.

"The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what it is I've found" Agassi told the crowd, tears streaming down his cheeks, his voice cracking with emotion. This, after he lost a 3^rd Round match against a German qualifier in front of 20,000+ plus fans packed to capacity at the Arthur Ashe stadium in New York. The four minute uninterrupted standing ovation by one and all present left Agassi with two overwhelming and conflicting emotions. All this, in spite of the fact of being prepared – He announced a few months ago, that this US Open would be his last on the tour.

Schumacher’s announcement, though less dramatic, was very keenly awaited. It came in a different mood – After he won the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, home to his team Scuderia Ferrari. He closed the gap to his nearest rival Fernando Alonso to 2 points in his bid to become the Formula 1 World Champion for a record eighth time. The retirement statement was akin to the German’s driving – Crisp and Accurate – “To make it short in a way, this is going to be my last Monza race that I’m going to do. At the end of this year, I’ve decided, together with the team, that I’m going to retire from racing.” Schumacher also admitted to have taken this decision after winning the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis on 07/02.

Emannuel Agassi, Andre’s father, dreamt of having a child who would win all grand slam tennis tournaments. He would give Agassi paddles and balloons while he was on his high chair to hone his hand-eye coordination. Rolf Schumacher’s son Michael began kart racing at an age of four and a half. Rolf managed a local carting track in Kerpen, home to the Schumachers, and gifted Michael his first homemade kart.

Both have a strong German connection – While Agassi’s wife Steffi Graf is a German and a tennis legend in her own right, Schumacher has been born and raised in Germany.

The Image

Agassi, embraced a rebel image, sported rocker length hair with earrings and colorful t-shirts that breached tennis’ strict sartorial boundaries. He boasted of a cheeseburger diet and the punchline of Canon’s Rebel Camera “Image is Everything” became his. After publicly stating that he didn’t wish to play at Wimbledon because of the traditionalism and the all-white dress code, he eventually went on to win his first grand slam title at the same place. During the third set of the 1988 U.S. Open quarterfinals against Jimmy Connors, Agassi was famously made fun of on national television when a fan yelled to Connors, “He's a punk, you're a legend!" Andre went on to win the match.

Schumacher, on the other hand, has always been an epitome of controversial supremacy. His world championship in 1994 came after a controversial collision with British driver Damon Hill during the season’s final race in Australia. The pressure of a speeding Hill caused a driver error (Yes, he’s human!) from Schumi and he bumped into a wall to lose momentum. Skeptics allege that Schumi purposely rammed into the overtaking Hill to damage his car and take him out of the race and the championship. He attempted a similar move in 1997 over rival Jacques Villeneuve but with opposite results. He damaged his own car and lost the championship. FIA later considered this as a deliberate illegal move and stripped Schumi of his #2 position for the season.

With tags such as “Cheap Cheat”, “Most Unsporting Driver” etc. being accorded to him, what probably best describes his career is a quote by F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone – “People have said to me that F1 is boring because he wins everything. So presumably when he's not here, people will be happy. But we'll miss him, because he is a superstar.”

The Statistics

Agassi is one of only 5 male players to have won all 4 grand slam events and the only one to have won every Grand Slam singles title, to have won the Tennis Masters Cup, to have been part of a Davis Cup winning team, and to have won an Olympic gold medal. He is the only male tennis player to have been ranked in the Top 10 in three different decades. A legend in his own right, Agassi's career was never characterized by sheer record-breaking. It was humorously observed that "Agassi doesn't even have the record for most Grand Slam wins in his house," a passing reference to Agassi's wife Steffi Graf (who won 22 Grand Slam singles titles).

Statistically, Schumacher is the most successful driver that Formula 1 has ever had. His records, so staggering, that even the staunchest critics agree that it would take long years of supreme driving by a legendary driver to even come close. They hold more value when compared with the nearest next.

Category	Schumacher, Michael	Nearest Next
Number of World Titles	7 (well on track for 8th)	Juan Manuel Fangio (5)
GP Victories	90	Alain Prost (51)
Career Points	1,354	Alain Prost (798)
Most victories in a season	13 (2004)	Michael Schumacher – 11 (2002)
Podiums	153	Alain Prost (106)
Fastest Laps	73	Alain Prost (41

Wealth and Charity

Both Agassi and Schumacher have amassed tons of money in way of prizes as well as endorsements. (According to Eurobusiness, Schumacher is the world’s first billionaire athlete). They haven’t forgotten to give back to the society in terms of charity tens of millions of dollars. Agassi was awarded the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award in 1995 for his efforts to help disadvantaged youth. He is regularly cited as the most charitable and socially involved player in professional tennis. Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation provided $720,000 to assist in the building of the Andre Agassi Cottage for Medically Fragile Children. In 2005, Schumacher donated US$10 million to charity for the tragic Tsunami in the Indian Ocean that ravaged huge parts of South-Southeast Asia. Schumacher has subsequently supported the “Make Roads Safe” campaign, led by the FIA Foundation, which is calling on G8 countries and the UN to recognize global road deaths as a major global health issue on the scale of Malaria and Tuberculosis. Schumacher is a special ambassador to UNESCO and has donated US$3 million to the organization. He has funded projects for the construction of a clinic in Sarajevo and has even taken the rare step of visiting Sarajevo to see how his funding has actually benefited child victims of war. For his contribution, he was named a UNESCO “Champion for Sport” in 2002

The retirement of these men will put a full stop to the golden era of dominance and create a void that will take while to fill.

Bow to You, our Titan Terrorists! Thanks for the Entertainment!!