Are Athletes Role models?
Lately, a topic of great controversy has been whether or not athletes should be looked 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 well. 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 would it not seem natura
2. Bouton, Jim; Ball Four. Stein and Day, 1970, New York, New York. 11. http://www.lecturenow.com/People/JimBouton.htm (Bio on Jim Bouton author of Ball Four) 10. Microsoft Encarta; Florence Griffith Joyner Bio; http://www.netsrq.com/~dbois/joyner.html 6. Rowe, David; Sport, Culture, and the Media: The Unruly Trinity. Open University Press, 1999, Philadelphia. Children, especially the underprivileged ones, have always believed that success can be gained from thriving in sports, which will eventually lead to money and a ticket out of the "ghetto." As stated in the Dictionary of Sports Quotations, by one of Sports Illustrated's writers in 1968, "Sports has increased the opportunity of the Negro, and other minorities, to go to college" (9). These disadvantaged children, look at the status of these icons, and think to themselves that by playing basketball or football, etc., they could also be there in years to come. From the days that young Native Americans looked up to (and pinned their hopes on) decathlete Jim Thorpe, Italian immigrants to Joe DiMaggio, and black women to Olympians Wilma Rudolph and Florence Griffith Joyner and emulated their every move. And, while it's understandable, I'm also thankful that these heroes' off the field "moves" were also worthy of emulation. 5. Rickey, Branch; http://www.baberuth.com/quote2.html 8. http://www.cmgww.com/sports/dempsey/dempsey.html
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1993
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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