Tiger Did It, Now No One Can't

To use the words “prophet” and “Charles Barkley” in the same sentence might get you weird looks from some, if not most. But I will use those two items in the same sentence. Charles Barkley was a prophet during his 1993 Nike commercial when he said:

“ I am not a role model. I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court. Parents should be role models. Just because I dunk a basketball, doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.”

                                                                    -     Charles Barkley

This commercial was very controversial at the time because a lot of people truly believed that athletes should be role models. The thinking was that kids watch sports and worship athletes, so in turn, athletes should always be aware of their actions and “think about the kids.” But I believe what Sir Charles said was correct, athletes are not role models. Over the years, we have seen many revered athletes get themselves into some pretty sticky and embarrassing situations. For example, Kobe Bryant in Colorado, Roger Clemens doing steroids, and recently Ben Roethlisberger in Lake Tahoe. But I think the final nail in the coffin to the “Athletes are Role Models” argument came a couple of weeks ago when Tiger Woods got into a whole lot of trouble. I don’t want to get into the whole situation, but the spark notes version is Elin Nordegren’s (Tiger’s Wife) bag isn’t the only bag that Tiger Woods has put his driver into. Tiger Woods was the last uber-duper popular athlete who seemed “perfect”; far and away the best in his field, wealthy one hundred times over and married to a Swedish supermodel. Like I said, perfect. But now these revealed indiscretions show a man who was loved and admired by many, but not faithful towards the one person who loved and admired him the most. For as embarrassing as this situation is for Tiger professionally and personally, and for as much grief this is going to cause his friends, family, and fellow golfers. I’m glad it happened.

Now before everybody screams about how insensitive I am, I will say the following. I am in no way glad about the pain and suffering Tiger’s family will go through in the coming months. I am in no way defending what Tiger did. Lastly, I am not glad about all the crap that Tiger will have to put up with from the global media. However, what I’m glad about is that the argument of “Athletes Are Role Models” is finally dead. How can it not be? One of the most popular athletes in the world, a man who was held in such high regard for his professional accomplishments and personal dedication, is an adulterer. A man, whose physical talents are off the charts, cannot do one of the things that defines a man, being a good husband. I believe that this finally says to society as a whole, professional athletes are not good role models. I’ve always said that athletes do not make good role models. They live entirely different lives from the rest of us, lives that we would never be able to comprehend if laid out in front of us. And the worse thing about athletes that prevent them from being role models, they’re people. People are flawed.

What makes professional athletes different from the rest of us? They make millions of dollars, they have physical abilities that the normal person can only dream about, and they play on television. But do you know what makes them the same as us regular folk. They’re people. That’s what we forget as a society sometimes. Athletes are people too. People have flaws. Just because professional athletes can dunk a basketball, throw 90+ miles an hour, catch a football one-handed, or sink a 40 foot putt; it doesn’t make them perfect. In this society, we glorify sports to the maximum. When athletes are good at what they do, we somehow assume that because the athlete is successful, that he or she is a good person. However, if it comes out that the athlete is not a good person, that can be crushing for any child who idolizes that athlete. Now I understand that because athletes make millions of dollars and are very popular, people expect athletes to take responsibility for their actions and be a community leader. And when they aren’t, people get angry. But in essence, what are athletes paid for? To perform on whatever court, field, rink, or stadium they’re playing in. That’s it. They’re performing a job. The community leader and responsibility stuff isn’t necessarily written into the contract. They don’t have to do these types of things. If you say that I’m wrong, look at somebody like Lakers forward Ron Artest. In his career he has caused the biggest fight in the NBA history, gone onto Jimmy Kimmel live only in his boxers, arrived to a playoff game only in his underwear, and admitted to drinking at halftime of his games. He still has a job. Why? Because he performs on the court, that’s it. If he were a poor to mediocre player, he would have been gone long ago. Do you want to instill into your child that if he or she becomes an athlete, and they’re rich and talented, they don’t have to worry about their conduct on or off the court? If you want another example, let’s take LeBron James. What is one thing that every parent teaches their child when they start playing sports; sportsmanship. Win or lose, congratulate the other team. At the end of every series in the NBA, the players from each team meet at center court and shake hands to show good sportsmanship. When the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic in game six of last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, LeBron left the court without shaking anybody’s hand from the Magic. Do you want to teach your child that just because you’re one of the best players in the sport you’re participating in, that it makes you better than shaking hands to show good sportsmanship? I didn’t think so. I think it’s better for children as a whole if their role model was someone out of the public eye. So they are not susceptible to their role model being scrutinized in the media. A role model is somebody you’re supposed to look up to; hearing otherwise could be crushing for a child. In no other place can a child be susceptible to hearing otherwise than in the world of sports.

I touched on this briefly, but another reason why athletes are not good role models is that you can’t relate to them. When I say relate to them, I mean in regards to their lifestyle. Being a role model to someone means people are able to relate to you. How can kids relate to a person who has millions of dollars, lives in a mansion, and can basically do whatever the hell they want? Kids can’t relate to that. Kids need to be able to relate to someone who closer to their level financially and geographically. Being a role model to someone also means that you have to be at a close enough distance to have an effect on a child’s life. Kids cannot be affected enough in a positive manner through commercials and post-game interviews. Kids also can’t call they’re favorite athlete at a moment’s notice when they have a problem going on in their life. They’re needs to be a person who the child can talk to and can confide in at the drop of a hat. Kids can’t go, “I’m having a problem with my math homework, I’m gonna call LeBron!! Or “This girl likes me at school, I’m gonna go call Kobe!! (DON’T DO THAT KID!! YOU MIGHT REGRET IT!! KNOW A GOOD LAWYER?)

I’m not trying to be preachy with my opinions, but I’ve always hated the fact that people expect athletes to be role models. Then when they don’t act as one, the parents blame the athlete for crushing the hopes and dreams of children who idolize them. Stop it. The athletes didn’t sign up to be role models. It’s the parent’s responsibility for knowing whom their children idolize and influencing who they look up to. Athletes are just like everybody else, they’re trying to be successful and get paid. Also, in no way am I saying that kids shouldn’t like athletes. Kids can like athletes. Kids can love athletes. Sports are a great release from the happenings of everyday life. Kids should appreciate athletes for their enormous talents, physical size, and charismatic personalities. But when it comes to role models, it should be someone who they can actually talk to, and someone who can actually affect their lives in a positive way.