Why do we think athletes are role models?

Sexton - High profile sportspeople are admired and idolised by thousands, millions in some cases. They are role models for the thousands who admire and idolise them. You don't think Mohammad Ali was a role model? Any high profile people in the fields you list are also role models. Barrack Obama - role model. George Clooney - role model. Unfortunately for you nobody gets to choose.

Keep your toaster Zack and buy yourself a thesaurus... that's a book that explains what words mean.

Zack - You have no idea what a role model is. What you get paid and by who is completely irrelevent. Nobody gets to decide who is a role model and who isn't. Definitely not you! If you're in the public eye for whatever reason then you are a potential role model. Sportsmen/women definitely are. Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Lionel Messi... are you saying these people aren't role models?

Thanks. I am a parent and I do set standards for the family to follow, but the standards are a framework for the individual to fill in during their lives. I don't regard myself as a role model for my children, let alone for anyone else.

Excellent post. What's confusing me from some of these posts is that people seem to think they get to decide who is a role model or not for different people. There is a huge difference between being a role model and setting an example, parents should set examples in the hope that they become role models to their children but at the end of the day he/she cannot decide if their 11yr old son/daughter chooses to look up to them in that way. I personally grew up in a loving, amazing family with parents who set an amazing example. I'm sure they like me, attempted to be the best role model they can for their kids. But at the end of the day, I grew up idolising Brett Mullins (Canberra raiders) but trying to play like him, I had my socks down like he did etc, and the other was Steve Waugh, I emulated his tough persona, shared his beliefs on cricket and anything publicized in the media, etc.

Think Aaron played a part in the stress on his family, or do you think it's better for his girlfriend to have had no knowledge of this? Do think it's a bit blown out, was consensual, but really - a public toilet?

Lara - If you plan to become a parent at any point in your life you will be a role model. Better get your ego ready.

Good post. The Aaron Smith thing will go away but the silver lining is he will always think twice about his personal behaviour from now on and probably more importantly he's been an example for many other people in the public eye who may be tempted to do something without thinking of the consequences to themselves and their reputations.

A lot of people are missing the point here, not least of all the author of the article. Being a role model is not something many people want and if they do you're right it would be something of an ego trip. But the bottom line is anyone who reaches a certain level of fame in whatever field they're in becomes a role model for thousands of people they've never met and probably will never meet and at that point their behaviour gets scrutinised regardless. It's generally the younger fans that are most influenced by the behaviour. I have a young son and try to set a good example for him, try to teach him right and wrong etc. but if he idolises Aaron Smith and sees him in the news having a good time with a stranger in a public toilet even if I say it's wrong to do that he may well be thinking to himself 'but Aaron Smith did it so maybe it's ok'. Fortunately my son is only three and the only person he idolises is Fireman Sam... who is a very good role model!!! Norman Price - not so much.

He's a public figure and an idol for thousands of young fans who look up to him. Whether he likes it or not, whether you like it or not, he is a role model. Sure he can behave however he likes but he knows that unacceptable behaviour will make headlines and determine how people see him. Same goes for any high profile person who lives much of their life in the public eye.

Never have , very few people would be considered good role models and to consider yourself a role model is a bit of an ego trip.

"Every All Black is a role model." Maybe in your household - certainly not in ours or in a lot of other households throughout NZ. It doesn't mean we are not fanatical All Blacks supporters.

Except he was on official AB duties, representing his country at the time

If I was rooting whilst on work duties I'm sure my boss would have something to say about it. Especially if it's in public and to the determent of our companies image.

"Personally I don’t really care for what smith did," I think you should, more because he was on representative duties at the time, i.e he's representing his country and employer. In his own time, fair enough, but this wasn't his own time

Nailed it soapit.

Yeah the issue is that many kids naturally incline towards having their favourite sports-players are role models. When I was growing up Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt and George Smith were my role models. And they are role models: they are figures in the public eye, often doing a large amount of community work (e.g. they send the All Blacks into schools to do training camps with kids) and, crucially, the players know that children see them as role models. I would think that anyone who seen Invictus would realise the capacity that sportspeople have to be role models. Now I really can't comment on modern South African society, but it was clear at the time that the 1995 WC was an important part of the healing process, even if it was just short-term: remember those scenes where the team went into the townships and did training camps with the poor children there? I am assuming that was true. As an adult now, I agree that the many sportspeople aren't actually worth of being role models. That being said, many are: David Pocock, for example, his possibly-on-purspose neckroll notwithstanding is a fantastic role model both in the sport and outside of it (in terms of his environmentalism, willingness to fight for the underprivileged, etc). I think that there is a social contract that exists between professional sportspeople and society: the players get paid large amounts of money, and in return they are expected to uphold certain community standards for the very reason that they are role models and are in the public eye. Perhaps they are not the ideal role models but that is a seperate issue, because regardless, they are role models. That being said, this Aaron Smith thing has been blown way out of proportion. He engaged in consensual sex with a lady. The timing was poor, and doing it in the uniform was silly, but he broke now laws. The only people who were hurt was himself (little sympathy) and his family and girlfriend. The people who saw it and repeated it to the media, the media—and the wider public—should be ashamed of their despicable actions that have led to the harassment, stress and hardship to his family and, particularly, his girlfriend. Did the people who videod it consider his girlfriend, do you think, did the media? It's been disgusting behaviour. The media should issue an apology to his family and girlfriend for their poor treatment.

Yes. Even if it was two dogs he was filming...

Train drivers are held to that standard and regularly drug tested.

yes but wal your job isnt valued solely because of public interest in your industry.