Some early morning channel
surfing lead this writer to the channel in which Skip and Stephen A. were discussing
Colin Kaepernick’s recent clothing “controversy.”
The former Daily News sports writer took the stance
that because Kaepernick is in an elevated position in society, he has to be far
more image cautious than the average citizen because of how impressionable
members of the younger generation are.
While the point was well
defended, the idea of professional athletes being role models for kids is
ludicrous.
To plagiarize the late
Mahatma Gandhi, we have to be the change we want to see in the world; and
placing all athletes on the increasingly fragile pedestal of high moral values
is foolish when many of them are not willing or able to embrace that
responsibility.
It is easy to blame media
sensationalism for why kids act like the questionable people they see on
television. Yet an enormous part of sports on every level is sensationalism.
The athletic marvels like Blake Griffin jump over cars and Robert Griffin the
Third sprinting at an Olympic hurdler pace are huge reasons for why people watch
sports.
Combine that with broken
households (by societal standards), the current economic mindset, and the
increasing prominence of media as a pacifier and kids are hard pressed not to
act like who they see on television.
Yet in the midst of these realities
one key fact slips through the cracks: kids who are at the age of being
impressionable are looking up at the sensational people that we as a society
are putting in front of them.
An uncomfortable reality that
needs to be addressed in regards to professional athletes as role models is
this: society builds athletes up on the foundation of how good they are at
their craft rather than the content of their character.
Therefore, if we actually
want the people on television to be serviceable roll models for the youth of a
nation, it is up to the fans and media alike to make good character of public
figures the foundation of public support.
And that is impossible to do
in the world of sports because winning cures everything.
While it’s easy to take Tom
Brady and his exploits in comparison to Paulie D and his exploits (and believe
me that’s a good choice) we have to look at why Brady is viewed as highly as he
is.
Because Tom Brady is arguably
the best quarterback of all time is the reason why so many impressionable
people place him on a moral pedestal that apparently comes with success. The
fact that Brady is a big contributor to the national charity Best Buddies is
not nearly as prominent as the fact the Patriots quarterback is fifth all time
in touchdown passes.
You can be a complete a-hole
and still be forgiven by the sports viewing society so long as you win. Michael
Vick can mutilate and murder dogs like he did back in 2007 and will be largely
tolerated so long as he has a season like he did in 2010.
Ray Lewis can get charged
with obstruction of justice during a murder trial, like he did in 2000 and have
public perception remain that he killed two people; so long as he wins two
Superbowls, is one of the best linebackers of all time, and a reverend in the
locker room.
Ben Roethlisberger can
allegedly rape a woman like he did back in 2008 (the charges against
Roethlisberger were dropped), yet so long as he continues to put up good
numbers and keep the Steelers Superbowl contenders he will be forgiven.
Still, Lewis and
Roethlisberger are two time Superbowl champions who have reached the apex of
success in their sport. No matter what we say about their character, they will
be remembered first and foremost as being successful at their craft.
Obviously not all athletes
are these heinous villains Vick, Roethlisberger, and Lewis have made them out
to be. However, if we as a society really care about the people our kids look
up to we will work on directing their attention to individuals of higher moral character;
and more importantly making good character the definition of a good role model
rather than how successful they are.
The alternative is defaulting
to building up athletes and musical artists as saints and tearing them down as
they do something stupid because they believe their fans will forgive them if
they are successful in their craft.
Yet the saddest thing is in
today’s society the athletes are correct to believe their sins will be forgiven
if they catch ten touchdowns or make a great album.
There is nothing wrong with
wanting people in higher positions to carry themselves better, like Stephen A
does with Colin Kaepernick; especially in the image paranoid country we live in
today.
However, that does not
exonerate society from choosing whom to elevate if in fact the end goal is to
have good role models for kids.
This notion leaves us with
only two choices. One option is that both media members and fans have to decide
that sportsmanship and good character take precedence over winning. The other
option is to acknowledge that athletes are not good role models because winning
is the most important value in sports; society can’t have the best of both
worlds if they actually want better role models for their kids.
The second option is far more
appealing if the goal is to be the change we see in others.
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