Last week I watched about a half-dozen college commencement keynote addresses on CSPAN. The speeches were entertaining, inspirational, and, for the most part, mercifully short. I don’t remember the keynote speech at my own college graduation some 54 years ago this weekend, but from what I have read about it online, it wasn’t like the ones I watched recently.
The CSPAN speeches were delivered by celebrities, sports stars, and politicians. I opted to watch addresses given by speakers in the first two categories. They were invited to speak to the 2026 graduates of schools like Ball State and California State University Los Angeles.
Almost by definition, celebrities and some sports stars (at least the ones I watched) are charismatic and seem at ease in front of large audiences. They also communicate well. In short, they are entertainers and make good commencement speakers. Contrast that with the mostly stuffy academic types they share the podium with. It was even better when the speaker had a connection to the school (like Jalen Rose at the University of Michigan).
The themes of the speeches I watched weren’t new: overcoming failure, trying new things, making a difference, don’t expect anything to be given to you, so on. But I think the students and guests were paying attention. At least I was. The speeches, with just the right amount of personal anecdotes, were that good.
The best speech I saw was by Hugh Jackman (known for his movie role as Wolverine). He talked about listening to your inner voice. Simple but important. Former NFL stars Tom Brady and Colt McCoy were tied for second using my biased rating system. As ex-quarterbacks, they know how to motivate teams and people. Billie Jean King finished her speech by softly hitting tennis balls into the audience. Quirky but it worked.
I graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1972. Ralph Ellison, a well-known Black author (he wrote the novel Invisible Man), scholar, and literary critic, gave the commencement address. I remember the event—it was a hot day in southeastern Virginia and the graduation was held outside—but nothing from his remarks. From what I have read recently, he challenged the graduates to meet our responsibilities to help our nation live up to its ideals. Important and serious stuff, but not entertaining.
It looks like CSPAN is finished with college graduation speeches for this year, although I hope they show another round. There are still some graduations left to go, including two at campuses of the University of California. I know this because I have two great-nephews graduating in the next couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see who their commencement speakers are.
Mud Bay Blog 