Why do athletes have to be good role models?
Roar Pro
It turns out that Michael Phelps, the man who captured eight incredible gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, can also smoke a bong. Wow, amazing! Thankyou News of the World. I feel so much better about myself now that I know an Olympic champion is on the wacky tobaccy.
Great for Phelps isn’t it?
It doesn’t matter how many world records he breaks in the future, someone will bring up the fact that he smoked weed at a party once.
If Phelps smoked weed during a swimming meet, I would agree with it being a news story. The fact he did it out of competition shouldn’t be a problem. It should be in the ‘who cares?’ basket, just like Stephanie Rice partying after her Olympic campaign.
It’s ridiculous celebrity news like this which makes me glad I failed to make it to the elite sporting level – at least in this day and age.
One only has to wind back the clock less than twenty years to remember the exploits of our former champions. David Boon scored a lot of runs and took that hat-trick catch off Shane Warne, but he also drank a half-century worth of beers on the way to England.
So why all of a sudden do athletes have to be role-models?
Being a role model should be like giving charity. It should be something you do naturally and not forced into.
Former tennis player Pat Rafter is naturally a role model, whereas Lleyton Hewitt is not because of their vastly different personalities.
The problem, of course, is that many generous deeds by athletes go unnoticed. It’s only the negative stories which seem to get published, skewing the public’s view.
A great example was when I played junior cricket in Wagga Wagga circa 1999.
The North Sydney Bears were in the city for a trial match at the end of February. They were staying at a Hotel just up from Bolton Park, where my team (South Wagga) was in action.
Rather than sitting back in their hotel room, a few of the players, including Jason Taylor, Michael Buettner, and Gary Larson, decided to come down and watch us play on their own accord without any media in sight.
They cheered so loudly it felt like there were 100 people watching. They signed autographs at the drinks break and chatted to us about cricket and football before retiring back to their hotel.
The team played that night and after the match had a few too many drinks and some of the players got into a fight. Needless to say, this made the headlines.
From memory, there were many angry letters from locals saying how disgraceful their behaviour was. It was a lesson to me in how harsh it is to be in the spotlight.
Yes, you make a lot of money, but there’s every chance your reputation will be damaged, whether it’s justified or not. All because you weren’t perceived as a role-model.
I guess that’s how Andrew Symonds feels right about now?
Michael Phelps photo by Vironevaeh
Enjoy sports? Enjoy a bargain? All Sports Online has your favourite sporting brands at up to 70% off. Online only, premium quality sporting goods and merchandise at discounted prices. Get a deal now.
Do you have what it takes to become a sports writer? Write for the roar
Other Sports articles
- Victoria Azarenka vs Maria Sharapova: Australian Open women’s final live scores, blog (89)
- Why I won’t be watching the Sharapova-Azarenka final (51)
- The sporting fallacy of the Olympic ‘Games’ (45)
- Djokovic vs Nadal was great, but do we need six-hour finals? (36)
- Sonny Bill needs to start boxing full time (36)
- Sonny Bill looking sharp for his first real test (29)
- Sonny Bill wins title in first round (25)
- London’s Olympic Games have a long way to come
- New champ Williams looking to next fight (4)
- Aust and GB aim to convert 4ths to bronze
- Young pitcher signs big deal with Red Sox (7)
- World Cup Darts heartbreak in Hamburg (3)
- Mayweather and Pacquiao have shamed boxing (12)
- Will Tom Brady’s legacy be affected by one drop? (19)
- London’s Olympic Games have a long way to come (1)
- World Cup Darts heartbreak in Hamburg (3)
- Mayweather and Pacquiao have shamed boxing (12)
- Will Tom Brady’s legacy be affected by one drop? (19)
- Sonny Bill needs to start boxing full time (36)
- Lachlan Murdoch squashing FTA sport for Fox’s benefit (4)
- Sonny Bill Williams vs Clarence Tillman III: Live updates, blog [video] (180)
Captain Random said | February 5th 2009 @ 6:51am | Report comment
Michael Phelps does not have to be a good role model for children because he doesn’t have any. I will condemn him when he smokes a bong on the starting blocks at London 2012, and not a moment before.
In any case, I remember reading stories about sports stars and their off-field indiscretions when I was a child and feeling that my intelligence had been insulted. Children are not stupid. They won’t mimic behaviour just because they see a multi-Olympic gold medallist do it. Not if their parents are setting good examples and boundaries anyway.
Remember, parents are the people that are supposed to be good role models for children.
dasilva said | February 5th 2009 @ 7:06am | Report comment
I do agree that role models is often overstated. I think it says more about us and society that we look up to sports stars for moral guidance then a particular failing of sports stars.
However I’m not too sure I like some of the direction this is heading with your reasoning about Andrew Symonds.
I don’t expect Symonds or any sports stars to be “role models”. Lot of stuff they do in private is there own business. However I do expect them to be Professional. They are professional sports people and should be judge by that standard.
If Symonds turns up to a cricket match on the booze or turns up to radio interview having drunk alcohol. It’s wrong not because he’ll be a bad influence to little children which is a bit patronizing if you think about it, it’s wrong because it’s unprofessional and he is not meeting his responsibility as an employee of Cricket Australia. IMO some of the things Symonds and other sports people do are enough for people to get fired from virtually every other occupation.
I think Andrew John’s article “The Top 5 sporting excuses that wouldn’t work at work” is quite relevant to what I’m saying.
sledgeross said | February 5th 2009 @ 7:33am | Report comment
I remember when Charles Barkley the basketballer was among the first pro sportsmen to ask why are they role models. He basically said he wasnt wasnt too smart at school, and anger issues and liked to drink and gamble. He couldnt understand why kids would want to be like him OFF the court. He added that role models should not be distant sports people, but closer to home, like parents, family, teachers etc. Sir Charles was raised by his mother and granny, so perhaps he did have a chip on his shoulder about male role models, but he does have a point.
It is a societal thing though. Having grown up in western Sydney, I socially would see young rugby league players out and about and mucking up. These kids are 17, on $50000 contracts and so dont pay any real attention to school. They know they dont really have to work too hard in the real world. People never say no to them so they have very little grounding in real life.
Brett McKay said | February 5th 2009 @ 10:01am | Report comment
Ben, I can see where you’re going with this and relating it to Andrew Symonds, and I do agree with you to a point, but dasilva also sums it up pretty well. They do need to be professional when doing their jobs and the peripherals that go with it…
It’s a cracking question you’ve raised though, and i wouldn’t mind betting if there’s suddenly a surge in new posters to The Roar, and to your article in particular, that it’s a flood of pro sportspeople using pseudonyms!! I guess it’s a sad reflection on society today that these type of unsavory incident takes up more column space than does a traditional match review.
The best example I can think of is how I supported Shane Warne – I only paid to watch him on HIS side of the fence, and so was very happy to call him the greatest bowler I’ve ever seen. But once he came back onto MY side of the fence, he was often just another tosser who I wouldn’t give the time of day. I used to say the same about Andrew Johns…
Spiro Zavos said | February 5th 2009 @ 10:18am | Report comment
I believe that all people in the public arena have a duty to set the best example, just as parents, teachers and so on have to behave in an appropriate manner in their lives to set an example to their peers and children. One of the pleasures of reading the obits in the SMH (aside from discovering that I’m not in them, yet) is to see the wonderful lives many ordinary people live, and the extensive and profound impact these lives had on the people who came into the orbit of these unobtrusive stars.
People in the public arena have a similar duty in a civil society to lead ‘good’ lives.
Andrew Symonds, in my view, has been poorly managed. There is that stupid Solo ad where he seemingly shoulder-charges a stupid chap dressed as a women to win a bet. What sort of message does this leave with kids who look up to him?
Then there has been the nasty incident at the SCG in the Test against India. Now the McCullum incident.
The point is that Symonds gets sponsorships and work in the media because of his celebrity, because he has created an interest in himself with his deeds on the cricket field. If he is prepared to take the money from sponsors, he must be prepared to live and behave in an appropriate way that does not offend the sensibilities of people concerned with ensuring that we live in a moral and civil society.
If you aspire to the fame game, you have to pay the price which involves civil behaviour.
Towser said | February 5th 2009 @ 10:22am | Report comment
Spiro said
“If you aspire to the fame game, you have to pay the price which involves civil behaviour.”
Says it all for me.
pothale said | February 5th 2009 @ 10:36am | Report comment
Good on ya Michael. Another pothale in the making. We’re growing in numbers.
Hoy said | February 5th 2009 @ 10:58am | Report comment
I can sit on either side of the fence here, and see both sides. I would tend to think that it is not the superstars fault that children act badly though. I would look a little closer to home.
1) These blokes are normal people who happen to be good at their sport/profession. If Bill from accounting is a whiz on the calculator, saves the company heaps, then goes out and gets gassed, passes out in a pool of vomit, who cares? Why should it really be any different for a normal person who is good at sport?
2) Because they are on TV that makes them one up on Bill from accounting I suppose. Young people do want to be like their heroes there is no doubt. I used to always be Dean Jones when I played backyard cricket. When, for instance, Phelps does something illegal (like smoke pot), and is not punished by the sport, what does that say about right and wrong when you are a superstar? You can do anything you want.
Young people these days are pampered far too much, and this, more so than their sporting heroes would affect their behaviour I would think. They can’t even get marked with red pen anymore, because it is damaging to their psych. Well maybe a little right from wrong when they are young by those truly important like parents and teachers goes further than a role model they have never met.
sunshinecoaster said | February 5th 2009 @ 11:54am | Report comment
Roles models no,thats a parents job
Should they be decent humans? yes,should they be able to show a bit of class,yes
Andrew Symonds none of the above
Phelps is still a decent guy from what we know,just made a bad mistake
sunshinecoaster said | February 5th 2009 @ 12:00pm | Report comment
Spiro said
“If you aspire to the fame game, you have to pay the price which involves civil behaviour
Thats a great quote Spiro