Professional athletes are role models - whether they choose to be or not.
Maybe it's because they appear on TV, or because they make millions. Maybe it's because so many kids dream of going pro and look up to them. Maybe it's because thousands of fans spend their hard earned money to watch them play every night.
Whatever the reason may be, it's evident that people idolize them and want to be like them. But is this a good thing?
In many ways yes. Pro athletes who are at the top of their respective games have put in hours and hours of hard work behind the scenes to be where they are today. They have great mental toughness and determination, allowing them to overcome all the hurdles thrown in their paths. They have high levels of self-confidence, courage, and skill to perform in front of large crowds. And lastly, they have incredible focus and perseverance to battle through failure on the field, court, or ice. All these are great attributes that lead to success and everyone should try and emulate them. However, athletes are often perceived as god-like (especially by small kids) and we ordinary people forget that they are humans too. There is no reason for athletes to not have the same bad habits, prejudices, manners, behaviors, or beliefs that we have. After all, they are only idolized because of their excellence on the field.
Unfortunately, with the rise of social media and the excessive obsession for sports, pro athletes are now scrutinized to the finest detail. The spotlight now shines on them both on and off the field, resulting in the revelation of the most unpleasant things: things that do not fall under 'role model' behavior.
Let's take a few examples.
LaMar Odom, a retired basketball player who won several championships with the LA Lakers, struggled with drug addiction. He was found unconscious, suffered several heart attacks and strokes, and recovered from coma days later. Despite all his basketball success, drug addiction will always be attached to his name.
Then we have Lance Armstrong, a legendary cyclist and cancer survivor. Seems like the perfect role model? Unfortunately not. He was stripped of all his cycling achievements (including his 7 Tour-de-France titles) and received a lifetime ban from competitive cycling after he was caught using performance enhancing drugs. In what was a massive doping scandal at the time, Armstrong not only ruined his name but also that of his team-mates.
Even Tiger Woods, one of the greatest golfers of all time, was under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. In what was an infamous scandal in 2009, Woods admitted to infidelity and and was forced to take an indefinite break from professional golf. He promptly lost most of his endorsement deals and his popularity rapidly descended. Woods obviously returned to the golf course and won several major championships since then but the incidents in 2009 will always be a scar on his persona.
The examples stated above are just few of the many scandals that have arisen over time. Thousands of athletes have committed crimes, shown immoral behavior, displayed poor judgement, and have been caught doping. While crimes committed by ordinary citizens usually go unnoticed, that committed by athletes make national headlines.
Spectators will often ignore this immoral behavior in order to continue their unwavering admiration and think it’s acceptable conduct for a person with such athletic skill. A bigger problem is when fans, even children, come to associate this immoral behavior as ordinary and adopt these negative habits themselves as a way to be like their heroes.
It's clear that athletes are simply the best at their profession, no different from an elite software engineer or doctor. The only difference is that developing software or treating patients doesn't fall under the entertainment category and isn't televised to millions of people across the globe. We really shouldn't expect men/women in their early 20s to be highly conscious of how their behaviors appear on TV when they might be worrying about performing every game under pressure. Just because someone has superior athletic ability doesn’t mean that they are a good person.
There is nothing wrong if young fans try and emulate their favorite athletes, but it's best if those aspirations are left to what the players achieves on the field, court or ice. Off the field, court, or ice, kids should look up to community workers, who volunteer, teach, sacrifice for others, and save lives. After all, a good role model is one who has awareness, empathy, responsibility, and performs self-less acts.
- By Sriram Chidambaram
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