Preface: This article isn’t for the good guys. It isn’t for the people that save someone’s life or spend time helping sick children, or love their wives unconditionally. This article is for the people who abuse their power, who continually make uneducated decisions, who disrespect, who think they are above the law…….

I’m done idolizing star athletes. Done. D-O-N-E. It’s sickening to read the things sports “stars” have done lately. It’s laughable. It’s horric. It’s embarrasing. It’s… I could go on for days. Just look at these headlines….

I’m all for due process and hearing both sides of the story — but seriously? How can anyone still cheer for someone like this?

———————————————

Let’s backtrack for a second. Like a majority of Americans I am an avid sports fan. The word avid probably doesn’t really do it justice, I’m a HUGE sports fan. I frequently tell my girlfriend that during peak sports season she can have Tuesdays to watch all of her Bravo, HGTV, and Food Network. Because….. Wed-Mon there’s always some sort of CFB, NFL, NBA, or CBB game on that’s worth watching!

I cried when Ohio State beat Miami in the National Title game. Miami got so robbed— I also love Ken Dorsey.

I worked for a sports media company.

I played football and basketball from childhood through high school.

I could sell my baseball card collection for maybe $50,000.

The list goes on…..

Sports are part of who I am. They bring so much joy and excitement to so many people and I definitely drank the cool-aid.

——————————————————

But holy sh*t! What happened? Why can’t I go a day without seeing some “star” athlete get a DUI, or domestic abuse charges. Were athletes like this before I was born? Were/are they this ruthless? Their behavior is best summed up by what my mom always tells me:

I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed

I think this best characterizes where I am with sports stars. I understand people make mistakes, everyone has misteps — I make dumb decision all the time! But I’ve been letdown too many times by the athletes I wanted to believe. I’ve been letdown too many times by players I’ve tried to mimic for years. I’ve been letdown by jocks who have the power to make a difference and choose not too. To me it’s not worth it anymore.

So, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to idolize people that inspire me. I’m going to idolize genuinely nice humans. I’m going to idolize people who care for others. I’m going to idolize people like my dad — who’s the smartest, kindest, most brilliant human ever. I’m going to idolize my older sister who’s the best listener I know. And in all of this, I’m going to keep searching for people that do good things with integrity— who knows, maybe that will be athlete?!?!

I realize this post won’t have much of an effect on anything or anyone. I’m sure most star athletes could give a lesser sh*t about my rant. These types of articles have been written before. Am I a hypocrite that I said all of this and will continue to be an avid sports fan? That’s for you to decide. All I’m trying to say is before you go idolizing just anyone, make sure you do your homework.