Although athletes are huge role models, I do agree that parents should be huge influences in there childs life as well. The problem though, that somebody already stated, is what if that child doesnt have good parents to look up to? What if he has no good role models in his family? That is when his or her role model that is a professional athlete has a huge affect on that child, because he has nobody else to compare too. Most kids get largely influenced by there parents or an older sibling as well as there hero on TV, but for those who dont, they are influenced solely by what they see from there role model on TV making it that much more difficult of a standard for that athlete to look up to.