By Cheryl Mattox Berry
Once and for all, can we bury the notion that athletes are role models and heroes? The final nail in the coffin: recent lies and scandals engulfing cyclist Lance Armstrong and Manti Te’o, Notre Dame football player and Heisman Trophy runner-up.
Years ago, basketball pro Charles Barkley made a sobering admission when he said, “I’m not paid to be a role model, parents should be role models.” Those words were even immortalized in a TV commercial. Still, young people idolize athletes, rappers and reality TV characters.
What have they done to deserve such worship? All I’ve seen them do is compete, talk trash in videos and wear designer clothes, respectively. There are exceptions, of course, and they get their props. However, before you declare someone a role model or hero, learn the definition of the words.
Role model – a person whose behavior, example or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. – Dictionary.com
Hero – a person who is admired for having done something very brave or having achieved something great. – British English Dictionary.
When I was growing up, role models were presidents, civil rights leaders, inventors, educators, judges, doctors, lawyers and other professionals. Heroes were soldiers back from the war; astronauts exploring space; firefighters who rushed into burning buildings and pulled someone to safety; police officers who risked their lives; and ordinary citizens who did extraordinary things, such as jumping into a lake to save a person from drowning.
Our infatuation with celebrity has turned the definitions upside down. Athletes should be admired for what they accomplish but put on a pedestal? I think not. Rappers and reality characters? I won’t go there. Their fame and fortune attract publicity, but what have they actually done to help others or advance mankind?
At the end of the day, athletes and celebrities turn out to be ordinary people with flaws just like the rest of us. Knowing that celebrity is fleeting and athletic skills decline, some of them will go to great lengths, including illegal activities, to maintain their status and bank account. Many of them aren’t even people you would want to know. A few support worthy causes, but they still shouldn’t be called role models or heroes.
Look in your own backyard for role models, starting with your parents. They have the toughest job of all – raising you. Have you met, worked with or read about someone who deserves your admiration? Your choices don’t have to be famous or perfect, but they should be people who fit the definitions.
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