Athletes as Role Models
Athlets have been lookd up to as role models for as long as sports have exsted. There is just something attractive about the thought of being in good physical condition and being talented in sports. But, are athlets the kind of people that children should be looking up to for direction and guidance? Many children often look up to the professional athletes as role models. In fact, in 1995 Sports Illustrated for Kids did a survey for kids who were ages 7 through 12 about who their role model was. The majority of the kids answered that a professional athlete was who they most looked up to. Only four percent of the children answered that their role model was one of thir parents. Because of today?s media, athletes are constantly in the public eye. Everything they do on and off of the playing field. Some professional athletes speak a positive message through their fame by demonstrating constructive ideas such as teamwork and commitment while they are on the field. Even off of the playing field some athletes set a good example by visiting children in schools, going to hospitals, or even setting up foundations and organizations to help the ill and less fortunate people. However, other athletes are not as considerate to the fact that someone may be looking up to them, some athletes are not concerned about anything other than the sport they are getting paid to play and themselves. These athletes are the ones that propose questions over whether athletes should be considered role models or not. A role model can be defined as a person whose behavior, example or success is or can be emulated by others, especially young people. Who would want their child looking up to someone who has been convicted of domestic violence or has a drug addiction? It is an argument of opinion that cannot be settled.
The side of athletes most commonly seen is when they are on the field. Athletes can be a very positive influence while on the playing field for many reasons. Teamwork is displayed in sports such as football, baseball, soccer, and hockey. It is where all the players working together and are all striving to reach the same goal. Anybody watching a game such as hockey or baseball can clearly see that the players must work together in both offense and defense to win the game.
In the collegiate world of sports, basketball has become an increasingly recognized sport among African Americans, predominantly males. The hope of any young basketball player is that one day a scout will come and recruit them into stardom The question that presents itself as a problem to the lucky few who are chosen to go professional, is whether or not an education is more important than a million dollar shoe deal, “The NCAA's (1998) annual six-year study reported that only 33% of Black male basketball players graduated, (Chronicle of Higher Education, 1999). Individually, basketball reported the lowest graduation rate in all divisions,” (Robinson, 2004:1). Basketball players have become so idolized in the eyes of young Black male basketball athletes, that the value of education appear to be less important in the development of these young men, “According to Sailes (1997), there is an over-representation of Black males in particular sports and an under-representation in other segments of American society. He provides the example of percentages of Black males competing in the NBA (77%), NFL (65%), MLB (15%), and MLS (16%) in comparison to the fact that fewer than 2% of doctors, lawyers, architects, college professors, or business executives are Black males.”, (Robinson, 2004:1). The idea of the attainment of a professional basketball player’s salary in the NBA, without even having to go to school for the time it takes to earn a degree is very appealing to some players. Those with a wealthy, or even upper-middle class upbringing may not view material assets as a priority. In the Black community, we have theorized that money and success play a more important role than education in most households. Although these two seem to go together, one resulting from the other, this does not apply in the sports world. Our research will examine the role that the family value system plays in influencing Black vs. White male athletes to turn professional, as opposed to obtaining a college degree before turning professional.
...ennis, basketball, soccer, and martial arts—have come from the days of cheerleading and synchronized swimming when she was growing up in the ’70s.” Disparities in media coverage and over-sexualized female athletes on magazine covers is something that needs to come to an end because of its effects on both male and female viewers, young and old, athletes and non-athletes. Both female and male athletics influence young people and shape their personality and morals as they mature. Retired WNBA player, Lisa Leslie credits her participation in basketball with shaping her character, as well as her career. “Sports can also help teenagers during an awkward time in their development.” (“Women’s Athletics: A Battle For Respect”). The solution is to come together as a society and identify how to balance the respect for female and male athletes in the media.
Sports played and continue to play a pivotal role in American history and culture. Baseball provided an escape from the stress and frustration of WWII, a beacon of light during hard times and later helped influence integration. Athletes became symbols of what being a true American meant and many sports enhanced American culture. One of the most prolific changes sports brought to our society was the beginning of racial equality on the field. It encouraged and aided the fledgling equal rights movement that evolved in the 1960s. African American athletes were considered second-class citizen until sports provided the first taste of equality. Teams life the Indians, Dodgers and Giants led the way for all teams to accept black players on equal footing. More sports then followed, helping to pave the way for the equal rights movement. African American athletes provided a spark of social and cultural change as America was at the emergence of the civil rights movement.
Whether or not adults can see it, they are the major influences in the lives of children. Although children do look up to media and sports figures, it is those that have direct interaction, and time spent with those they love and look up to on a daily basis that they truly learn from and mold themselves around based on the adult influences in their lives. That being said this makes parents, and family members the true heroes in their lives. Parents want their children to develop family values, and to be kind, caring and courteous, which are not always attributes that the media, and sports figures possess, (Holub, Tisak, & Mullins, 2008) Many studies have been developed to determine who children tend to idolize most, and describe as their heroes, and most children associate the word hero with someone they know personally, and not someone in the media. Anderson, and Cavallaro state, "70 percent of the African American and 64 percent of the White children chose people they knew as heroes. In contrast, only 35 percent of the Asian American kids and 49 percent of the Latino kids named people they knew." (2002) These numbers are huge, and show that adults are truly major influences in who children view as heroes. As a society, everyone needs to realize the impact that is made by the choices that are...
All of my life the sports I have played consisted of teams, and those teams had to work together in order to succeed. Team players are people who can cooperate willingly with everyone but it is more than that. A team player improves others performance around him, a team player makes everyone a better individual and exploits their talents, a team player boosts efficiency as far as chemistry.
For the past 12 years, I have had the privilege to cheer on many softball teams including my own and others from about my home town. Now that my time as a softball player is coming to an end due to age limits and injuries, I hope to be able to coach at the high school level, and possibly middle school as well. As I consider the game of softball to be a serious sport which requires personal commitment and dedication, my preference is to focus on developing my coaching skills in a high school setting. Softball programs are focused on producing highly skilled athletes and preparing them for the highest levels of competition. As a coach, I will strive to set the expectation levels around the key characteristics of being humble and trusting, while
There is currently a widespread opinion in society that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people are underrepresented in mainstream sport. Furthermore, sport is considered a field where sexual prejudice is palpable (Gill et al., 2006). Thus, many young LGBT individuals may not have access to LGBT sporting role models, defined as a person that someone observes, models behaviour, and in turn inspires and increases self-esteem (MacCallum & Beltman, 2002) and this may affect their participation in sport. This is a topic that has not been directly researched before, but this review will demonstrate the importance of role models for young LGBT people by examining past research on: LGBT peoples’ participation in sport, the
Moreover, teamwork skills are demonstrated through co-ed sports, however, continue to build into workforce environments, as well as communication skills. In society teamwork is displayed through a workforce where all the members work together to meet the requirements set up for them. An example of this is, at McDonalds, all the crew members and managers work as a team to meet the requirements of the customers. This is the same in co-ed sports, which would develop at a young age and be useful in careers later on in life. An example of this in co-ed sports is, in floor hockey teamwork is required in order for the team to be successful and win the game.
Why Athletes are Good Role Models Ever since the ancient years, we have admired athletes and the hard work. that they do to achieve their goal of winning. We idolize them and wish we were more like them. What happens though when the realization sinks in that they are human too and that some of them do get greedy and selfish?
Aiming to be a pro athlete is one goal that many young kids have, they look up to stars like Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, and other sports superstars. They bad thing about this worship of these athletes is that not many of these kids will have the chance to become a star. So if these kids grow up in life being told that they can do it, this can really affect those children’s goals in life. Instead of focusing on their school work they instead might just focus on trying to learn more about how to become an athlete which can lead to them getting poor grades in school. The kids look up to the athletes for all the good things they also get influenced by the bad things that they do. For example when Michael Phelps smoked marijuana it was all over television and the news. So when a young kid that looks up to Phelps sees him doing this that child might think that smoking marijuana is okay sin...
It is unquestionable that lessons of teamwork are learned through involvement with sports. Sports are all about working as a team to reach a common goal- winning games, meets, or matches. As most athletes know, this goal is not possible without becoming one joined team rather than a bunch of individuals. According the newspaper, Courier Mail, “It teaches you to always treat others with respect and not to get too cocky about your own abilities” (Sport a Teacher on the Playing Field of Life). If athletes play the game just to benefit themselves and their personal future, it is impossible to improve as a team overall and achieve success as a whole. Along with treating teammates with respect, it is equally important to be honest with not only fellow teammates but with oneself. Quarterback Kemp also said, “I learned that if...
With celebrities all over the media, it is expected that some are idolized by their fans, especially the youths. There nothing wrong with people making celebrities their role models. Celebrity role models can be a positive influence by changing people’s lives and way of thinking for the better. On the other hand, when impressionable kids and teens see their celebrity role models do something that is not morally sound, they will come to think that it is acceptable making it more likely for them to do it. This raises the question: should celebrities be role models? For the most part no. Role models are people that are admired by others for their accomplishments and not their status; however, many celebrities
Role models have an astounding effect on the lives of young people in our society. A role model has the ability to shape the views, ideals, and actions of a young person. Role models help youth to discover how they wish to become in the future. The influence that role models have over young people is tremendous. It is important for role models to be positive and responsible in instilling good morals and values because future generations are directly dependent on the role models of today. By examining the influence of role models, role models in the community, and role models in the media, we will be able to determine the true effect that role models have on the lives of youth.
In conclusion, it is explicit that sports is a positive influence on athletes, spectators and the world as a whole as it teaches imperative life lessons as well as allows its participants to experience enjoyment, fulfilment and gratification. As mentioned previously sports enables its players to bring out the best in others and create unity amongst groups as team work is so essential. This highlights the views I have in conjunction with the views of Joe Humphrey.
Participating in team sports is important not just for health reasons, but also for your healthy intellects and emotions. Playing sports that is in range of the player’s interest helps relieve stress and maintain their mental health. A team is mostly about unity within the team and with the coach, so no one can be selfish. Therefore playing in team sports develops good characteristics within oneself. Being part of a team sport should help create the opportunity to gain meaningful insight into one's leadership, social and cognitive development. Team sports helps build good character because they teach athletes discipline and how to have good sportsmanship. Chatterjee and Jatta declared that human beings learn and work together in various professional