For many of us, the authority figures we knew growing up made a big impression on us.  For me one of those authority figures was a Catholic pastor at the school I attended all 8 years of grade school.

That man’s name was Matthew Herold.  He led the parish and the school I attended in the 1950s and 1960s.  And he was a very controversial man.

He did not believe anyone should ever arrive late for the Mass.  If he started Mass and saw someone walk into the church, Father Herold would stop and yell at the person for showing up late.

He was known to have quite a temper and I was occasionally on the other end of his many tirades.  As you can see, Father Herold had his own views on just about everything.

One view he held left most people dumbfounded, including my dad.  Father Herold said amateur sports should never be on television.  He wasn’t even in favor of amateurs playing before large crowds.

He asserted this in a state that was crazy about high school and college sports, especially basketball.  He would talk about watching professional sports on TV, but never any other sporting events.

Father Herold argued that it wasn’t right to put so much pressure on amateur athletes at the high school and college level.  He did not think that limelight was good for the mental health of those in sports.

What brought back memories of Father Herold was the story of Simone Biles.  She has been described as perhaps the greatest gymnast ever and was performing in this year’s Olympic games in Tokyo.

As most of you know by now, Simone Biles dropped out of the Olympics in mid-stream, citing mental health issues.  She had posted a Twitter message the day before saying she felt the pressure of the entire world on her shoulders.  It was just too much for her to bear.

I wish Simone Biles the very best.  At age 24 she has a lot of life ahead of her.  Mental health issues can be treated and I hope Ms. Biles gets the treatment she needs.

But all this brought me back to Father Mathew Herold.  We all thought he was nuts to say that amateur athletes have too much pressure.

Now, as I approach my 70th birthday, I have to go back and think about this.  Was Father Matthew Herold right after all?  I don’t know.  But it gives me a lot to mull over in my mind.