Sports and Socialization - Athletes as Role Models?

Article: Athletes as Role Models
On Tuesday, February 10, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed sport and socialization. It is clear that sport plays a big role in the society, especially with kids. Socialization is an active process of learning the culture of a society and it occurs when you interact with others. Socialization involves the information of ideas about who we are and what is important in our lives. At the beginning of the 20th Century athletes viewed being a role model as part of their job. Is it part of their job? It is their responsibility to be a role model for kids? Many kids look up to professional athletes because in their eyes, they have it all. They get paid to do what they love, they're rich, they get to travel, and they're famous. The imaginations kids have are so big that they do not realize that becoming a professional athlete is unrealistic. Does that mean looking up to athletes as role models is a bad thing? Socialization and being a role model go hand in hand because socialization provide agents for sport organizations, these agents are: family, peer group, school, community, and mass media.

Derek Jeter

What characteristics does a role model need to possess?

• Honesty 
• Commitment
• Fairness
• Determination
• Good sportsmanship
• Sense of humor
• Good self image
• High moral values 

The reason why viewing athletes as role models is such a uncertain thing is because you never know what an athlete is going to do or how they are going to act. There have been many athletes who were great role models such as Ray Rice and Lance Armstrong who turned out to be bad role models based of certain actions. There have also been great athlete role models who have remained great role models such as Derek Jeter and Dwight Howard.

The Newsday article "Athletes are not automatic role models" highlights the bold statement Charles Barkley made in 1993 in a Nike commercial, he stated that he is not a role model and that parents need to be role models. Is he right with that statement? Yes, parents should be role models but what about the kids who don't have parents? Who are they suppose to look up to? Watch the entire commercial on you youtube here: Charles Barkley Nike Air Commercial

Parents often lead kids to think that athletes are good role models. If a kid is beginning to play a sport they sit down with their parents to watch a game. Often times kids hear: "you see how they follow through on their shot?" "do you see how their stance is?" "do you see the hustle that they have?" by teaching the kids the proper form from a professional player naturally leads them to look up to them and want to be as good as them.  

Another reason why athletes have become such big role models to many kids is because of the mass media. Athletes are always in the light, nothing about their lives is private. Their life on and off the court or field is in the headlines. Since the athletes are always in the headlines, they are always being scrutinized by the public. They are held to a higher standard because they are professionals, more is expected of them because of what they do. Isn't the only thing that they are suppose to do is play? Charles Barkley stated that it is not his job but many athletes feel like it is apart of their job. 
Does thinking that you need to be a role model make you a good role model?