Are Professional Athletes Proper Role Models?

Children who participate in sports are less likely to be overweight or obese, have higher self-esteem on average, and are generally more invested in their academics. Sports are oftentimes seen as a gateway to academic opportunity, particularly for kids with fewer resources. While this logic is inherently problematic, it is true that high schoolers who were involved with organized sport were more likely to be enrolled in college later on. Youth sports also give children a place to develop socially by teaching them about teamwork, leadership, and compromise. Team sports in particular can provide children with a sense of belonging to a group, and therefore increase their self-esteem and improve their social competence. There are dozens of reasons why youth sport is important and beneficial to a child’s development, and with millions of participants each year in the United States alone, it doesn’t look like youth sports will be going anywhere anytime

Being a professional athlete is one of the most commonly heard dreams of a young boy or girl who currently elementary school. Whether it is realistic or not, these kids will be participating in the sport that they wish to thrive in. But, time after time we hear adults complain about their child’s insane soccer schedule, or how they have to spend their whole weekend traveling for games. The parents complaints shouldn’t be the topic of discussion, in fact the only opinions that matter are the children. The question shouldn’t be asking whether or not youth sports are too intense, it should be asking if it is worth it. If a child loves what they’re doing then they have every reason to continue playing their sport, but if they are not all in, he or she has to question whether or not all the craziness is worth it.

that they do to achieve their goal of winning. We idolize them and wish we were

The argument has been made that sports people should not be considered to be role models in our society. The subject is indeed a contentious one considering that people are generally social being and are highly influenced by the actions of other people. While parents have the responsibility of shaping the mentalities of their children, it should be noted that the attitudes of our young ones are easily shaped by what is happening around them. Having

AFL players inspire young people all around Australia because meeting one of your idols at such a young age is invaluable. It inspires children to achieve dreams and overcome roadblocks, plus it encourages them to lead active and healthy lives. Many AFL players’ lead generous lives look at Collingwood defender Harry O'Brien who spends a significant part of his off-season in Africa, working with local communities and Brisbane Lions captain Jonathan Brown frequently has a kick around with the kids of Brisbane. The bottom line is that nearly 20 per cent of children see sports stars as role models.

Every child at some point in their lives dream about becoming a rock star, doctor or an astronaut, but the career that stands out the most is becoming a professional athlete. Why? One reason could be the ever increasing media coverage on each individual sport with certain channels devoted for just that particular sport, keeping viewers updated and thirsting to get out and play. Another could be the ease of getting out in the backyard as a kid to shoot the basketball, throw a football, or hit a baseball because it is harder to perform heart surgery or fly to the moon when you're only a child. With that being said; it is easy to look up to a professional athlete and put your heart and soul into them wearing

In addition, athletes in the past have been a positive role model for athletes and young people, today. Just like President Barack Obama recently said about Tommie Smith and John Carlos holding black fists up during the award ceremony, “What Tommie Smith and John Carlos did may have been controversial at the time, but it created opportunity for future generations.” This means that the athletes, in the past, that spoke out against their disbeliefs, set an example for present athletes, and how to get their point across, but at the same time being a role model for young people. Furthermore, since athletes are already on a bigger stage, when they speak out, they are allowing us, as a nation, to see our flaws, so we can unite together and change it. When Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem, it was part of the Black Lives Matter movement, and it helped our nation come together to find a solution. By doing this, our

Everyday today's youth are asked what they want to be when they grow up. Some say teachers, firemen, police officers and a large response to that question is a professional athlete. Something that all these professions have in common is that they are all role models to children. Firemen, teachers, police officers have an easy job at doing this; they are after all the people that save children, teach children and protect children. But professional athletes on the other hand have a difficult task assigned to them when it comes to being role models. Professional athletes are not given an option as to be a role model or not. Just because they have a special gift does not make them have

Often, even without trying an elite athlete becomes a role model for young people, this is because they are fit, focused and famous.

Professional athletes are justified to protest the national anthem. They are justified because choosing not to stand up for the anthem shows how he feels about america and what we represent. As american citizens they have the right to their freedom of expression.

Many times we find that young people look up to athletes. There are countless community centers that offer different athletic programs. Many times there are young people with endless talent and ability, striving to be just like their favorite athletes. There are a number of good athletes that display an incredible amount of perseverance in their everyday lives. This alone serves as inspiration to young people.

Role models, we all had them growing up, at a young age they can help dilate your ambition and aspiration, they help console kids growing up and when preparing for the future. A major source for role models is when a child elects a sports player, however, as the players make decision on field they are also making decisions off field that the child with know and may even try to venture off and attempt them. So lately it has been talked about whether or not sports team have the liability to hold players to a sterling conduct, on and off the field to disallow the act of warping the minds of the younger generation in a negative or flippant affect.

Another critical factor to consider is the obesity epidemic as it is one of the greatest challenges facing Australia and many other developed nations. Australia is one of the most overweight nations, with 62.8% of adults and one in four children being overweight or obese (Health, 2014). One of the greatest problems facing youth sport is drop-out rates. Therefore, having successful elite athletes as role models to help inspire children to continue with their chosen sport, is vital. A study from Lockwood and Kunda found that “having successful athletes as role models provoke inspiration and self-enhancement when their success seems attainable to the observer” (Lockwood, P & Kunda, Z, 1997). Personally, I have witnessed a significant drop in sports

Theoretical practices of sportsmanship in sports provide adolescents with positive attitudes about fairness, honesty, and responsibility. Athletes learn to reflect these values of sportsmanship and apply it to their daily lives, once again providing positive psychosocial benefits to youth athletes. “From the perspective of sport psychology, the sphere of research that encompasses the key concepts of sportsmanship, ethics, and morality has been termed moral development in sport” (Goldstein & Iso-Ahola 2006, p. 19). Moral development is influenced by the sporting environment that the adolescent is exposed too. The adolescent’s psychological growth is dependent on “moral cognitions (thoughts of right and wrong),

Having gone through both elementary and middle school, we have all run into peers who spent a lot of time and energy trying to act like the most popular athlete in any given time period. Kids often try to imitate controversial athletes to bring attention to themselves. Such behavior can bring popularity to a young person. A sad outcome of violence in adult sports is that youth sports end up mirroring adult sports. Young people are encouraged to be aggressive, and often those who are the stars of the team are those who know how to "stretch the rules". Often, young people who do play by the rules are relegated to the bench. As a result, youth athletic teams, even