Professional athletes are always under a spotlight and their every move is judged by fans and critics. However, they are just like everyone else and that’s what people need to understand. They may excel in their sport, but they are still human and imperfect.
It’s not that professional athletes should not be role models because everyone makes mistakes. Just because these athletes are professional, does not automatically make them perfect, but these athletes did take on the responsibility to have younger people look up to them.
Most people with a huge platform have fans and those fans might be younger. A lot of sports fans will usually have a favorite player and consider them a role model, however some of these athletes make bad decisions outside of the game and even sometimes get in trouble with the law.
When I was younger I remember being a fan of this football player because they were just simply good at their sport, but an article came out about this player getting in trouble with the law. This obviously made me rethink the player I looked up to, but for younger kids who look up to these players, they might think that’s normal or okay.
There are some professional athletes who use their platform to spread awareness and help out the community, but not all players use their popularity for good things. Nowadays I see a lot of unsportsmanlike players in games, such as sore losers. A lot of players might also engage in behaviors that aren’t admirable outside of the game. When you see these kinds of players, they usually act out in an immature way.
For example, Draymond Green, who is a power forward for the Golden State Warriors, has recently been suspended indefinitely from the NBA. He was suspended for striking another player during a game. Green has a history of unsportsmanlike acts. This is his 18th time being ejected from a game. This is a clear example on why some professional athletes should not be role models for some young athletes.
Being a role model it comes with responsibilities and setting an example for those who look up to you. These professional athletes have taken this role when they decided to play professionally. Not only does that mean these players need to set a good example on the court and field, but also off.
While these professional athletes might inspire us to do better in our sport, they should not be the sole role model for younger people.