Role Modelz

I too believe that being a professional athlete carries with it the responsibility of bring a role model whether you like it or not. I think that there are many consequences, Both positive and negative, that can arise from societies expectation for athletes as role models but it is the way it is. When professional athletes engage in negative behaviors like over celebration or dunking, depends who you ask, these behaviors and actions or more often than not passed down to some child who looks up to that athlete. What is sucky about the situation is that athletes are never really focused on for the positive things they do outside of the sporting world, sot he only thing a young child has to look to is what the media portrays the athlete to be. I think parents should encourage kids to have role models, especially if they are very positive role models. I know growing up in the sport of wrestling that it was the role models my parents pointed to and encouraged that ultimately made me the athlete and person I am today.