Since professional sports were first introduced, players have been viewed as role models. Recently the question has been raised as to whether or not this is a proper thing for them to be. Michael Vick tortured and murdered dogs, Barry Bonds cheated his way to stardom, and countless others are just no-good, pampered divas. There are some that shine out through the mess of egotism and are devoted athletes who give back to the community. This suggests that there can be no blanket statement as to whether professional athletes should serve as role-models. Individual athletes can be evaluated as to how good a role-model they can be. There are plenty of valid criteria, but the most important of them would have to be their athleticism, their …show more content…
The athleticism of an athlete is an important thing to take into account because it is the main objective of their career. It is also an acceptable way of measuring their dedication, because no matter how much natural skill they may have, it’s impossible to be successful in professional sports without thousands of hours of practice. It is important to notice that there is no one clear form of athleticism. It all depends on the sport and the position. For example, winner of the World’s Strongest Man competition, Brian Shaw, may not be able to sprint one hundred meters in under ten seconds but current one hundred meter world record holder Usain Bolt would not be able to dead lift eight hundred pounds. There is no one who could argue that Brian Shaw is out of shape even though he cannot compete in world class sprinting and there is no one that can argue that Usain Bolt is out of shape even though he cannot compete in world class weightlifting. An athlete needs to be able to dominate in their sport. This calls for them to be highly specialized for what they are going to do even if there are some sacrifices necessary. Athleticism is not just a measurement of how far one can jump or how fast one can run, but a measurement of to what level one can compete in their sport. The intellect of an athlete as well as how much an athlete values intellect is of comparable importance to their overall athleticism. It
The Sports Gene, written by David Epstein, supports the argument that natural ability controls our lives. Malcolm Butler, author of Outliers: The Story of Success, argues that preparation and work ethic are more important than innate talent. With great examples and reasoning, Butler builds a more convincing argument by presenting evidence and reasoning from the text, making Butlers position better for answering the question How much of what happens in our lives do we control?
If you could be any famous athlete, who would it be? You might admire them for their physical ability, but mental ability also plays a huge role. It is even more important than physical ability. Yes, the athletes have trained and are in good shape, but there is more than meets the eye.
Lebron James and Freddy Adu are both young athletes and with millions in their pockets with a countless number of endorsement contracts. Whether it is high school athletes skipping college and discontinuing the development of their education for millions of dollars, or teenagers signing contracts with businesses for massive amounts of money, youth sports programs are changing rapidly. However, American high school athletes are not financially, physically, or mentally prepared to tackle and endure the pressures of professional sports.
Authors, Sanneh and Heinrich describe in “Why We Run” and “What Could Be Better Than a Touchdown”, that mental agility is just as important as physical prowess in sports. They use many examples with how football and running needs both of these elements to perform their best while the sports they do.
To conclude, athletes spend lots of time and dedication to their sport and should be rewarded for their efforts. Almost all athletes are more focused on sports than their
Athletes in college receives a lot of attention, through their practices and performance on and off the field.be. They uplift the names of their colleges and give it a name that would otherwise not be acquired. They make their college mates proud of their college, and they may boost enrolment of many others, which would benefit the school. Athletics stand a position to earn a school other benefits, not only to the players but other students too. They may win study scholarships for their school mates by their exemplary performance (Owens et al 20).
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
On the other hand African American and female students alleged that African American athletes are more competitive and have a different playing style (Sailes 1993). From relevant literature it has been found that the statement made on how athletes are not academically smart enough compared to the average student is proven incorrect due to a number of the following studies illustrating a positive correlation between the increased amount of physical activity being associated with higher academic performance, as well as positively influencing concentration, memory and classroom behaviour (Trudeau & Shepard 2008) (Eitle & Eitle 2002) (Bailey 2006) (Coe et al
My point is, why would athletes even be suited to be role models? Because they're on television? In the words of the great Charles Barkley, "Just because I can dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids."
Career achievements need to be based on professional conduct and milestones covered. However, the big sports associations such as Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) tend to factor in other principles as well (Withers 147). For these leagues, certain behaviors off the field are keen indicators that determine how a player is viewed. With such efforts, these leagues aim to maintain a standard that professional athletes can use to guide their lives. However, there are questions that linger regarding the forms of conduct that are deemed to be unworthy of these athletes. The question is also posed to the wider society since these professionals are a part of it (Schrotenboer
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
hear one mention of that in the news. They are making us believe that all
Being in an American school begins a student’s search to find who they are considered in the system. From a nerd to a punk, many academic ties are also involved with this identity. The one group of students who get the most academic ties with his or her extra-curricular activity is the “jock”. As having the title as a jock, a child learns that many people look at someone who plays football or basketball doesn’t have the ability to learn as fast or as well as someone who just studies and doesn’t have extra-curricular activities. Studying this topic is not as stressed as it should be, even when many programs claim to get more physical activity in students. The articles that have been reviewed were testing whether the athlete gets good grades
Athletes can be good role models in terms of demonstrating how to be professional. The
The Death Penalty is, undeniably, one of the most controversial issues of our day. Emotional tensions are high between those who hold human life above justice and those who hold justice above all human life. The Death Penalty, along with all other forms of criminal punishment, is barbaric. This form of punishment, indeed all forms of criminal justice, truly shows the level to which society has sunk. When people stand outside prisons and cheer as prisoners are murdered, there is a problem. When personal bloodlust is held above moral ideologies, there is a problem. When human life is assigned a value and weighed against other alternatives, there is a problem. The state speaks of Justice, but this word is only a reflection of the confusion,