Should Athletes Be Considered Role Models

In 1993, Nike released the infamous "no role model" ad featuring Charles Barkley. The commercial was a reality check for sports fans all around the world. Barkley was dominant on the court, but for  the first time made it clear that he did not feel obligated to maintain any type of image off of it. He famously stated, "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?" Twenty-two years later, the issue still has no clear answer. Although there are plenty of professional athletes that are more than worthy of being looked up to, there is still a staggering amount of players from all sports that get in trouble with their sport as well as the law each year. Look no further than the NFL's recent domestic violence crisis. Ray Rice's case has brought attention to a plethora of domestic violence cases in the NFL, condemning not only the leagues players but its administration as well.

Ultimately, the most important factor in the discussion about role models in sports is to realize that athletes are human beings. In fact, the crime rates of NFL players are relatively low when compared to the national average of males in their age group. The problem is people expect more from athletes who are in the spotlight, when in actuality role models in professional sports are no different than ones that are found in everyday life. Being a professional athlete should not entitle a person to be a role model. Instead, athletes should be judged as normal people, based on their actions and not held to ridiculous standards.