Athletes over the years have developed into role models. They are greatly looked up to by people of all ages. Young and old alike dream of being able to hit a home run, catch the game winning pass of the Super Bowl, or slam dunk. These fantasies lead to the idolizing of a person’s favorite sports figures. This admiration causes fans to pay close attention to what they do both in and out of the game. All too often the public is over-exposed to these celebrities’s social life and gain information on everything from who they are dating to a severely flawed past.

A common issue today is if these athletes should become celebrities in their own private life as well. As a society, the people of today hold their favorite athlete to a hero’s standard. Ballplayers can become heroes for kids, but it is often taken to the point where they

Many other athletes commit crimes while they are on the baseball diamond, football field, basketball court, boxing ring or the ice of a hockey arena. Such as during the 1997 boxing match where Mike Tyson bit off a large part of Evander Holyfield's ear this event was not prosecuted in a criminal court but was left up to the Nevada boxing officials to decide what disciplinary measures would be taken.

When controversy surrounds a player it tends to bring attention towards the ball club. Often parents would rather rely on athletes to influence their children than taking some initiative and actually doing some parenting.

In 1999 a Wichita State University pitcher named Ben Christensen intentionally threw at a player in the on deck position. No charges where ever brought about even though the victim of this assault had to undergo many surgeries. Crimes like these should be prosecuted to the same level that they would if they where committed on the street.

At first glance it can be hard to see that professional athletes often posses as many if not more bad qualities than good ones. People can be fooled into seeing them as role models just because they admire their skills in a sport. Professional sports are played as a method of keeping people entertained. They are often the wrong choice for such a position. Many posses bad sportsmanship as well as a mind set that revolves around money. The common man can not imitate the actions because we do not experience the same set of disciplinary measures of such high-profile athletes.

A person should look for characteristics other than having athletic ability when choosing a role model. One should look for a man of good character, with ambitious purposes. This person should also be possessed of good morals and have a high sense of honor and a deep sense of personal responsibility. This is a list of qualities I haven’t seen in many, if any of todayâ€

Some topics in this essay:
Michel Jordan’s, Michel Irving, Charles Barkley, Super Bowl, Role Models, Ray Lewis, Ben Christensen, Evander Holyfield's, Dennis Rodman, role model, role models, sports figures, Wichita University, choosing role model, ray lewis, mind set, possessed morals, professional athletes, high-profile athletes, disciplinary measures, sports played,