upon as role models by their fans. Does an athletes' responsibilities pertain solely to his

performance on the field of play or does it also extend to his personal life as well? There

are many who claim that it is wrong for a sophisticated society to impose a set of

behavioral expectations on fallible people who just so happen to excel in sports. Some

players themselves agree with the fact that they do not and don't expect to be considered

role models, such as stated at a press conference by Charles Barkley

(www.yaleherald.com/archive/xx/9.8.95/sports/mantle.html). It is my argument that

athletes are not only role models but, in today's media driven world, it is their

responsibility to exhibit extraordinary judgment and exemplary actions off the field as

From the beginning of time, man has looked outside of himself for examples of strength,

leadership, and guidance. For heroes. Perhaps it is an acknowledgement of a human flaw.

Even the mythological gods possessed powers beyond those of mortal men. Legends are

told of men with superhuman strength, endurance, and wisdom. So why wo

a character performing extraordinary feats and pretend, even for the slightest moment,

his name was Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson gave black America hope of one day

Some common words found in the essay are:
Branch Rickey, Griffith Joyner, Harris Jackson, Charles Barkley, Paul Bunion, Griffey Jr, Models Lately, Mantle Yankee, Jack Dempsey, Jim Bouton, role models, sports figures, baseball player, black sox scandal, public's eye, black sox, human flaw, branch rickey, reporting events, athletes role models, jackie robinson, cheek rickey,
Approximate Word count = 1777
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)