Should Pro Athletes Be Held Re
Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, or personal interest, everyone at one point in their life had somebody that they looked up to, or modeled their life around. It could have been a parent, teacher, priest, or perhaps someone famous. Many young kids today look up to celebrities, which include actors, musicians, and most notably professional athletes. Most kids see celebrities as "heroes" and often look up to them because they envy that person's position in life and in most cases would like to grow up to be like that person. One reason why kids look up to celebrities is because they're very well known and can regularly be seen on television, thus having their personal and private lives be easily accessible for the public's viewing. When in the eye of the public 24/7, these celebrities are faced with constant media and public scrutiny, having everything they do watched closely under a microscope. Even when an athlete does something remotely wrong, it's completely blown out of proportion. I don't believe that athletes should be held responsible for the actions of others due to that particular athlete's behavior. I know that many people probably disagree with my standing on this issue, but I will attempt to explain myself.
The debate about the role of professional athletes in society is nothing new. Many would be surprised to know that such sports legends as Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain and Ty Cobb were horrible role models and these are some of sports best athletes ever. Of course everyone knows about the shenanigans surrounding former football great O.J. Simpson, and the antics of such people as Mike Tyson and Dennis Rodman. These athletes are just an example of bad role models in the sports world, as one can imagine there are plenty more. Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain, and Ty Cobb are some of the most well-respected athletes of all time for their accomplishments on the field and court. As soon as his baseball game was over, Mantle would head straight to the bar and stay out to all hours of the night, even on game days. All-time great basketball player Wilt Chamberlain probably has more kids than he can count on both his fingers and toes, all with different women. Ty Cobb was one of the dirtiest players to ever play baseball. When sliding into second, he would come cleats up, purposely trying to injure someone. The players of Cobb's time hated playing against him because he was a complete prick. But he would do anything for his team to win, which again is what he's paid for. The way these athletes go about their business may not be respectful, but who are we to say what they should do in their life. Athletes get paid to be athletes, not to be role models. The problem stems from the type of person and attitude needed to play sports. They are a hard sell as role models, especially in violent sports like football, hockey and boxing. Sports psychologist Julian Morrow says, "What makes a player successful on the field - anger, risk-taking, limited impulse control - may not make him someone you want living next door." Some facts to back this statement up are evident in a recent book, "Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL," in which authors Jeff Benedict and Don Yaeger estimate that roughly 21% of the 1996/97 NFL players had competed with criminal records. In May of 1998, Sports Illustrated ran an article displaying the number of NBA players with children out of wedlock. The number is so staggering, it's believed there are more kids out of wedlock than players in
Some common words found in the essay are:
, Andro Andro, Ty Cobb, Sports Illustrated, Charles Barkley, Darryl Strawberry, Mark McGwire's, Julian Morrow, Mark Johnson, Joe Montana, professional athletes, role models, role model, sports world, kids celebrities, ty cobb, role models sports, wilt chamberlain, models sports, mickey mantle wilt, athletes role, paid athletes, mantle wilt chamberlain, wilt chamberlain ty, chamberlain ty cobb,
Approximate Word count = 1547
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
