Are Sports Athletes
Role Models?
Kaiti Dickenson
Sports
athletes are all kinds of people; generous, giving, caring, killing, raping,
and even sometimes addicted to drugs. In
a way, the kind and giving people could be those that should be looked up to. Good
acts and deeds should be admired. However, there are some subjects that were
admired for their skill, which later were found guilty of many criminal
variables. Both sides of the topic, “Are
Sports Athletes Role Models” are valid, but I believe that athletes should not
be role models.
There’s
a long list of athletes who have been involved and suspected of criminal
activity, and this list includes O.J Simpson, Dave Megett, Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Allen Iverson, and
even Floyd Mayweather. All these men served different sentences or were
suspected for different crimes including kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, and drug trafficking. I’m sure
through press, many of these stories were covered and the charges brought on
each guy were obvious.
After
these discrepancies, the men above were blacklisted, and for good reason.
Criminal activity is nothing to be admired, and it certainly isn’t something to
be viewed by children. In America, sports professionals are admired because of
their skillset and paycheck, and unfortunately the paycheck part rules
overhead. Young athletes dream of having million dollar games and playing the
sport they love for the rest of their lives. However, this is unrealistic due
to the fact that 5.8% of high school football players ascend to college ball,
and from college ball only 2.0% make it to the pros. That means of the 40
football players at Philip Barbour, only 8 will make it to the collegiate
level.
Dreams
are big in the development of life and the way we live it, but some dreams are
just too big to ever be fulfilled. Now I know there are success stories, but
mostly those are fantasies in the eyes of many high school players due to their
talent level. Anything is possible and there is always a chance, but feeding
children dreams of 12 million dollar checks and all the riches they can handle
just isn’t appropriate. You have to ask yourself what these people really have
done to progress society, and there a FEW good examples of good Samaritans.
Drew Brees has a foundation for those affected by Katrina, Peyton Manning has a
program for underprivileged children in Tennessee, Louisiana, and Indiana, and
Warrick Dunn has a program to provide housing and funding to single parents.
Warrick Dunn’s mother was killed in a robbery while working her second job.
I don’t
believe sports athletes are good role models, but they are role models no
matter what anyone says because young athletes will always be looked up to for
their skills and money made in professional leagues of all kinds. There are
good examples who give kids a real reason to look to them for guidance and how
to act through life, but this is a rare occasion. However, good deeds can’t be
ignored, but neither can criminal activity.
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