High School vs Professional Athletes
For young athletes all over the country, playing for a living is the ultimate goal. The fame, money, and joy of playing a sport makes this occupation seemingly superior and more ideal than the rest. Whether it’s highschool, college, or professional, athletes of all sports have people below them who aspire to be in their position. It’s clear that getting to play in front of large crowds requires hard work, dedication, and commitment, all traits that parents want to instill in their children for success in anything they do. However, does this mean athletes should be idolized and seen as role models? Based off research and personal experience I believe they should be as local high school athletes rather than professionals.
A “role model” by definition is someone whose behaviors, habits, or accomplishments are copied by others. Accomplishments are always positive, so that’s something kids can always try to imitate from athletes. Also, in order to get in a position of elite ability athletes take on extreme sleep, eating, and training habits that only few can obtain: another positive of having the youth follow in their footsteps. However, where the line must be drawn is when discussing the behaviors of athletes, especially off the field. As of late, there have been more and more slip-ups from professional athletes in our society, who have the most fans watching their every move. Whether it’s drug use, sexual assault, or some other illegal action, social media only talks about the bad things that happen. The athletes see that the punishments haven’t been very strict, so there has become this norm that it’s not that bad to break the law. All that usually happens is a short suspension or fine that doesn’t even make a divot in their bank account. In 2012, USA Today estimated that three quarters of NFL players own guns. This is apparently a good way to always feel protected, as fan love always comes with fan hate. Discussing if it’s ok to have a gun is opening a whole nother can of worms, however either way a kid thinking it’s ok just because their hero has one is not how it should be. Children can develop opinions about this issue over time, but that should be based off of their parents and personal experiences. It’s very unlikely that kids have a personal relationship with their favorite athlete, so all they see is what’s on TV and social media, which is usually what they do wrong. Yes, there is a counter to this in which professionals can use their unique platform to promote social issues, good behavior, or other things our society should pay attention to. However, it’s hard to pick and choose which athletes are worthy of being role models since they are so far away on a television screen. The true character of these men and women isn’t prevailed like it is with younger athletes in small communities, where it’s easy to identify the bad apples.
It’s awesome to cheer for a team and player, but this does not mean they have to serve as a role model. Everyone has their team and players that they root on and support, but that doesn’t mean that off the field they have the power to completely dictate one’s lifestyle. Let’s face it, it’s highly unlikely that you will play in the NBA or NFL or any professional league, so there is a realistic aspect to this too. It’s great to admire and cheer for these elite men and women, but the dream of getting there quickly fades with age. For many people their role model is who they aspire to be, but there’s also cases where teenagers fully acknowledge their lack of ability yet still find an athlete to idolize. In this case, their favorite athlete isn’t really acting as a role model, rather just someone they appreciate because no actions are trying to be replicated.
On the other hand, high school athletes in small communities serve a greater role for the kids in that town. In my community, there is a basketball cycle that all high school players go through. At the birth of Farmington ballers, each kid goes through the West District Rec League where they first encounter the “star” high school basketball players. Following this stage of the process, kids enter the travel league from grades 5–8. Then, after idolizing the high school players for so long, these dreamers finally reach the stage of taking on the role that they looked up to and doing it in front of all their peers, teachers, and family as well as the next generation of high school players. Throughout the whole process, there is constant interaction between all the levels, whether it’s clinics or the young kids running out of the tunnel before the varsity players in a big game. This is the personal connection that makes the high schoolers being a role model for the kids more meaningful. The tight community also enhances the realistic aspect of choosing a role model. Kids get to see the work it takes to be successful at the high school level, which is a very attainable and likely goal.
I personally had a role model growing up who was a star player at FHS, the high school I knew I’d be attending and playing basketball at. I went to all of his games, admiring the way he played and totally dominated all the other players. Throughout my middle school years and even to this day, Trey Witter always trains me in the gym to help me achieve the success he had as a player in high school. Once I finally worked my way into my dream spot on the team, I began to see the impact I myself had on the young kids. Numerous times I’ve given out autographs to kids who idolize my team and I. I’m not making millions and playing on ESPN, but the local kids aspiring to be in my position don’t care, which grants us the unique opportunity to act as a role model for so many young players. These are the type of experiences I’ve been through that have instilled my strong opinion about high school athletes being more influential role models than professional athletes, it’s just not something most people realize or appreciate. I didn’t spend my childhood learning and idolizing players like Michael Jordan and Lebron James. Instead, it was players like Trey, which ultimately allowed me to start at point guard on a CT state championship winning team.
