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? A lot of
athletes are model citizens that you should really look up to, but there are
also some bad apples in the bunch that ruin it for everyone. Athletes can
inspire young people to work hard so that their efforts can pay off, but no one
is pure and flawless. Greed does take a hold of some players, but they
shouldn't be the ones we devote all of our attention to. We should look at the
positive things that people do. The media does not go around reporting all of
the good things that these people do, just the bad things and their mistakes.
They are only human just like the rest of us. Are these people safe for our
children to idolize to look up to? I think that the answer is YES!
If you were watching the news, would you really want to hear about all
of the charities that an athlete has donated money to? It would be interesting
at first, but you would get tired of it afterwards. That is why the media never
covers anything like this. We all know that they really don't care about
anything else except for a hot topic. The truth really does not mean anything
to them. This we notice in all the cases that the media jumps to wrongful
conclusions, such as the Richard Jewel case and the Olympic bombing and the TWA
flight 800 that blew up over New York. The media jumped to numerous conclusions
that had us lost. Do you think these people worry about what fund raiser
Michael Jordan attended and about what Shaquille O'Neal did on Thanksgiving for
the needy? No. They are more interested in what color Dennis Rodman's hair is
and what he wore last night at Excalibur.
I had to go through days of research to find out that Chicago Bears star
Chris Zorich has started a full scholarship at Notre Dame for inner city youths
that get accepted to the school, but can't afford it. He plays for our city's
football team, and we have not heard of any of his philanthropic efforts. He
also has an annual food drive for the needy around Thanksgiving. I read about
that in a little column in the newspaper. Would he have ...
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...istration drug czar, is enlisting pro athletes to help him fight the war on
drugs. He assumes that they are held to higher standards of conduct than other
people because they serve as role models. Everyone is aware of the role that
these athletes have. We should not look at the inappropriate actions of few
athletes. I was biased to believing that all athletes are bad before I started
doing my research for this paper. Then I found all of the good things that
numerous players have done to help others. Just because they want to help
doesn't mean that we should expect them too because they are only human. We
should not have athletes as scapegoats if children are resistant and defiant.
Those are responsibilities of the parents. Just because there are some bad
people in sports today doesn't mean that we should generalize. We have had some
bad presidents also, but we don't hate all of them. Some of them work hard to
contribute something to us just like professional athletes do. We just have ot
remember that they are human just like us and that Michael Jordan and Dennis
Rodman aren't gods just because they have a lot of money. They worked hard for
it so let them enjoy it.
What is a Role Model? A role model is someone that inspires you and someone that you are interested in learning more about. According to Studymode.com, Ray Lewis was born May 15, 1975 and is a linebacker who has played for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL since 1996. Lewis has been selected to eleven Pro Bowls and been named an Associated Press All-Pro nine times. He won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and 2003; he was the sixth player to win the award multiple times. He was also the second linebacker to win the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award and the first linebacker to win the award on the winning Super Bowl team. Ray Lewis is a great NFL defensive man and has broken records throughout the history of NFL. Not once did he not give up or not try hard enough. He always tried and played at his best. Being the man that he is, he may have inspired men and young boys around the country to push themselves through each and every practice despite the pain they may have experienced the next day just to continue in the sport that they know and love.
the professional sports organizations want you to believe they are focused on playing a game,
scholarships to play at that school so therefore they are getting an education as they are playing sports.
for playing for their school because colleges really don't care about the student athletes education, being a
Athletics has made a difference in my life through its redefining of the word “success.” Before I got involved with track and cross country, success was measured by goals I set and achieved for myself that made me happy. Since then, I have realized that success is much more gratifying when it is dependent on making those around me proud. In track, success is when I have trained hard enough so that I am able to help my relay team win a race or break the school record. In cross country, success is when I have built up enough endurance to contribute to the team score and help my team move on to the state meet. This mentality has translated to my daily life, as I am constantly working hard to please those around me. At school, I always do my homework and get good grades so that my teachers do not have to focus extra energy on getting me to do my work. At work, I strive to go above and beyond my typical duties so that I can lessen the responsibilities of my co-workers. At home, I help out with chores without being asked so that my parents can have one less thing
My father once told me that he was best friends with a young man named Timothy during all their years in high school. One day during my father’s senior year, Timothy became gravely ill and he was hospitalized. Later, after doing blood tests on Timothy, he was diagnosed with AIDS and was given 3 months to live. When the student body was questioning where he had been, my father announced what had happened to Timothy. The students quickly misconceived that he was actively engaged in homosexual activities. Since my father was his best friend, it was a misconception that he too was gay. After Timothy had passed away, the doctor performed an autopsy and they had concluded that during an earlier surgery Timothy had in the year, the blood that was transferred into him was contaminated and that was how Timothy received the AIDS.
The one thing that an athlete doesn’t want to hear is that they cannot play their favorite sport because of an injury they recently got. This actually happened to me when I injured my knee while lifting high amount of weight. After my lifting class I was walking perfectly and prepared to get through the rest of the day. Only an hour later I couldn’t walk with my right leg and had to limp through the rest of the day. Two hours after I was limping and trying not to cry from the sharp, acute sting in my right knee.
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.
Firstly, the media has the power to support. Who the media supports is often having a bit
A lot of times, sports seem like a contest of physical skill― a test to see who is the fastest or strongest, who has the best eye or the most endurance, who can jump the highest or can handle the ball the best. What a lot of people don’t know is that there is so much more to a sport than just the muscle and coordination. In order to excel in a sport, an athlete requires a lot of self-discipline, concentration, and self-confidence. It’s the mental factor that makes a difference. Former Olympic gold medal-winning decathlon runner Bruce Jenner once said, “You have to train your mind like you train your body” (Gregoire 1). Success or failure depends on the mental factors just as much as the physical ones. The training of the mind of an athlete is called sports psychology. The use of sports psychology has a huge impact upon an athlete’s performance. The mental skills of a sport are just as important as the physical skills. All professional athletes use sports psychology. “If they aren’t currently using it, it’s almost guaranteed they’ve used it in the past, even if they are unaware they have” (Davis, Stephens, The Exploratorium 129). It’s hard to find an experienced athlete who hasn’t used sports psychology, because without it, they probably wouldn’t be where they are. The use of sports psychology is a crucial step to becoming a successful athlete.
In 1981, Michael Jordan stepped foot on North Carolina’s campus as a top recruited freshman and was soon to be one of only four freshmen to ever earn a starting spot under Coach Dean Smith. The University of North Carolina was where Michael Jordan’s legacy started, and as of now, it will not end anytime soon. In his playing days, Michael was a second overall draft pick, Nike client, six-time NBA champ, six-time NBA finals MVP, five-time NBA MVP, and a fourteen-time all-star. After his playing days were over, Jordan’s impact on the game and on the fans never died. He is a role model to many people spanning over all generations from old to young. Michael Jordan not only changed the game of basketball, but more importantly, he changed the sports industry. Because of his American values of motivation, dedication, and a hard work ethic, he has helped defined the way society views the sports industry.
There are certain types of people that go out of their way to keep others happy. They influence and help others when they need it. While in this unique period of time, it can seem quite uncommon to see someone try to make a difference in their community. Most adolescents are much too absorbed in video games, cell phones, or other technology that comes into their lives to look at the bigger picture around them. This “bigger picture” consists of the community they live in, the school, church, and friends that mostly influence who they are if they so choose.
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
able to get onto the teams on the basis that most schools simply do not have a
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the word “Role Model” is defined as “a person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others” (Role Model, n.d.). With just because you have “followers,” that doesn’t make you a role model. In the article “How Kim Kardashian became a role model we can’t afford to lose” by Andrea Peyser (2016), the word “Role Model” is altered from its positive outlook; to a very broad and loosely used word in today’s society. It’s important to choose who we call “Role Models” and how their outlook can be a positive influence instead of a negative one. in the article “Role Model OR Authentic Professional?” by Merz (2015), it depicts the difference between people who are famous and ones that are actual role models, who is a positive influence (Merz 2015). Even though the word “Role Model” doesn’t define whether or not that it is a positive or negative trait, we tend to look