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Athletes Role Models Research Paper

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I. When we look at people, why do we judge right away and don’t think twice? Sometimes, first judgment about a person is not the best opinion to have about that person. Role models are people who show good morals and show people that they should live how they do. Role models are good people to look up to. But how can we relate these people to athletes? Well, an athlete is not like a role model. An athlete is given a contract and needs to achieve the goal given within. A role model’s job is to be an upstanding citizen in society. Athletes need to do what is required of them and not worry about public opinion. Even though experts argue that athletes should be held at a higher behavioral standard, these expectations are unrealistic.
II. SUBTOPIC …show more content…

“Mickey Mantle said ‘… play like me, don’t be like me’ (Globus).” As an athlete, you are showing off your athletic ability not what you do with your personal life. An athlete’s personal life should not be intermixed with their athletic capability. Kids need to understand that an athlete is a prime role model candidate on the field, but not off. “Just ask their neglected wives and children. These are hard, firm trade-offs in where a person’s time and energy gets directed, and every choice has a consequence (Wallace). ”These neglected family members are showing us that athletes aren’t the stable people we want to look up to. Children must know what and why athletes do what they do and why they aren’t the right people for role models.
III. SUBTOPIC #2: Another belief that makes athletes being held at a higher behavioral standard impracticable is that their lack of discipline can affect their teammates.
A. One issue with discipline is that athletes don’t pay as much attention after the athlete leaves the playing …show more content…

What an athlete does off of the field is something that he/she decides and isn’t incorporated with the organization they represent.
B. An organization that represents these athletes wants to be remembered for their record or how good they did in that season.
1. “Professional athletes are just like you and me (Cohn).”
a. Athletes are normal people and make mistakes throughout their career.
b. An organization’s reputation shouldn’t be tampered with because of a mistake that an athlete makes. Nobody is perfect.
2. Athletes are paid for one reason; that is to beat opponents not for being cases of ethics (Cohn).
a. Organizations and franchises pay athletes to do well in the sport that they play and not worry about they do outside of the sport.
b. Athletes are paid to excel in the sport that they play and franchises shouldn’t be destroyed because of what they do outside of the game.
V. Role models are people who need to be upstanding citizens regardless of what they do with their life. Role models are typically people that are looked up to: like police officers, firemen, and leaders but athletes are thrown into this category. Athletes should not be put at that higher behavioral standard because they have a job and need to do whatever it takes to succeed. Athletes are the type of people that need to excel at what they do which is sports and events they participate in. A role model and athlete are two totally different people; always have been and it should never change. If an

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