Athletes Are Not Role Models
“She also testified that Hardy threw her in the bathroom and later onto a futon filled with guns. She also said he placed his hands on her throat and threatened to kill her.
“’He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me," the woman testified on July 15. "I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly, I said just, 'Do it. Kill me.'" This testimony was recorded about the famous professional football player Greg Hardy, whom was on trial for domestic charges. This is a perfect example on how professional athletes like Greg Hardy, should not be accounted on to be role models to the youth of our nation. It is believed in society that athletes are often the role models or even
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So it is inevitable that a child would look at a professional sports athlete and think of them as a role model right? With all the media persuasion and all the athlete’s unbelievable talent children are supposed to look at athletes like super heroes, who always does good right? According to Globus, Cheryl Miller stated in an interview, “When you reach a certain level of visibility, you are a role model whether you chose to be one or not,”(Globus, S.1998). Cheryl miller is one of the greats when it comes to women’s basketball. She was an all American in women’s basketball, state and national champion, and is now a head coach for the Women’s Basketball Associations Phoenix Mercury, so she has been in the spotlight plenty of times. “Young people can look to athletes like Lisa Leslie and Rebecca Lobo and say, 'They may make fun of me now for playing basketball, but look what I could become.’” (Globus, S. 1998). Later in the interview she was asked whether or not it was fair to be seen as a role model as an athlete, she said, “Fair or not, that's how it's always been.” (Globus, S. 1998). Cheryl’s remarks were a solid point to the controversial issue on whether or not athletes should be role models. She says that it is going to happen no matter what, but according to a scholarly essay, Celebrity Culture, youth of our nation do not look up to professional sports athletes as heroes or role models. In small surveys they found that teenagers say that people such as parents, teachers, and even coaches are the role models and heroes in their life not superstar sports athletes. The survey was held by the American Bible Society and the author, Espejo, used it to prove that “Teens search for their role models or heroes from within their reach or from whom they have had regular interactions with,”
Sexual assault, abuse, and rape by athletes is a devastating crime. These crimes by themselves are horrendous, but when committed by athletes there are many different factors involved. Through extensive research this paper will show contributing factors that may result in assault, abuse, or rape by athletes. Special treatment for athletes throughout their career, belief in sexual male dominance, and the role of alcohol are all important factors. Other crucial factors are the attitudes and responses of: society, juries, victims, coaches, and athletes. This paper will explore all these issues and show that changes need to be made in all the areas to combat the growing percentages of sport assault, abuse, and rape against women.
that make these NBA athletes being portrayed as great role models for these young men,
The media should display more positive African American figures, because the lack of them causes them to mimic the destructive behaviors seen on television. African Americans, along with other people of color have been patronized in the media because of negative stereotypes. Although sports players are very successful and thrive in their field, they are one in a million. The chance of a person becoming a major league sports player is slim to none. The media allows young African American males to believe the only way out of poverty is through sports. Through Television, radio and magazines, stereotypes are aired to people all around the world; these stereotypes overrepresent African American sports players in media and underrepresented positive African American figures in media. Modern Americans suffer from a fear of judging. Passing judgment on the behavior of fellow human beings is considered an act of medieval, undemocratic intolerance - Lewis B.
Why do female athletes receive less media coverage than male athletes? Male athletes dominate professional sport that airs on television. The media easily overlooks female athletes except during occasion like the Winter Olympics. The articles Media Coverage of Women’s Sports is Important (Lopiano, 2008) and Take Back the Sports Page? (Sommers, 2010) acknowledge factors that determine the amount of media coverage female athletes receive. [Lopiano and Sommers address this issue in regards to media coverage on female athletes differently. Lopiano focuses on the general message the media broadcasts and Sommers uses statistics to show the difference between female and male media. Lopiano and Sommers agree that the media considers female sports less valid. Both focus on different aspects such as problem and solutions and the different consequences of unequal media coverage]. The authors discover similar as well as different factors that contribute to the inequality media coverage of both female and male athletes obtain.
College athletes comprise the unique part of the college community but their problems often remain underestimated since their success in their sports overshadows difficulties, which they may and do confront in terms of their integration into the college community. In this regard, the social background of college athletes is one of the major challenges for their successful integration because they are from low-income families mainly and a large part of college athletes represents minorities, such as African Americans. As a result, the social background of college athletes is substantially different from that of the majority of college students, who are predominantly white and middle-class. At this point, it is possible to refer to the book Backboard and Blackboards by Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler, where the author explore issues that college students confront at college. The authors reveal numerous difficulties and challenges college athletes may confront at college and suggest their explanation of those difficulties. However, the book makes obvious the gap that persists between college athletes and the rest of the college community because of the different social background of college athletes, their different interests and priorities, which make them not only different from other students but also contribute to certain marginalization of college students within their college communities.
Athletes in society are constantly in the media and are looked up to by the youth and fans alike. When athletes make bad decisions the issues are blown up for all to see. A role model is a person whose behavior can be emulated by others and especially younger people. Young kids look up to athletes more than anyone else and try to be just like them, wishing to follow in their footsteps when growing up. Not all athletes embrace being a role model in today’s society, even though the youth and many others follow their every move. Several professional athletes have gone from being role models to making bad decisions that often jeopardize their careers.
In 1970 only 1 in 27 girls participated in high school sports, today that ratio is 1 in 3. Sports are a very important part of the American society. Within sports, heroes are made, goals are set and dreams are lived. The media makes all these things possible by creating publicity for the rising stars of today. Within society today, the media has downplayed the role of the woman within sports.
...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.
We are a nation that is largely controlled and persuaded by the actions of the most prominent athletes of our generations. In the 1940’s, Jackie Robinson broke into Major League Baseball as the first African American player and helped pave the way for future generations of minority athletes in all professional sports (Deford and Smith 52). Throughout the 1950’s, Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics began to dominate the National Basketball Association and demand that more African American players be allowed to play in the league (Anderson 99). Most recently, Danica Patrick who has rewritten our definition of traditional “men” and “women” in sports by becoming
The discrepancies in media coverage in coverage of female and children athletics have large gaps, but are gaining momentum in sharing equality. Major athletic leagues such as the NBA and FIFA World Cup have wide gaps in marketing and ratings for their male and female athletes. Children are future athletes and superstars, but as funding and coverage in athletics caters to the males, women are breaking the barriers to being in the spotlight of sport. Both genders contribute equally to athletics, and challenge the each other to accept new ideas and change. The sports world that has a single gender dominating the media is unjust.
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...
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?
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.
Lebron James is possible the most popular athlete in the United States. He was born in Akron,Ohio. He was drafted in 2003 by his hometown Cavaliers. LeBron James is a positive role model as he voices his opinions on social topics, he became successful, and he is humble.
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