What comes to your mind when you first think of professional athletes? Is it superstars, troublemakers, criminals, or all of the above? In the world we live in today, every person, whether a sport fan or not, has some sort of opinion or outlook towards athletes, let alone professionals. As unfortunate as it is, yes athletes do get themselves in trouble quite often. As I do, you probably think why in the world would they get themselves in trouble when they have the world in their hands? Have you taken a look at some of these people’s salaries? I mean absurd amounts of money are given to them to do what they love best. It’s obvious that any one person could slip up and make a mistake doing whatever it may be. But it’s different when it’s a professional athlete. I'm not choosing a side, but lets talk.
Here’s what journalist Dustin Lytle has to say about the most frequently asked questions as to why athletes get in trouble.
http://kentsterling.com/2010/09/22/why-do-professional-athletes-get-arrested-so-often/
Likely my favorite article Dustin wrote there. (Other than mine!) I like what he had to say about each question, more importantly his solution to the issue. Professional athletes need a mentor, someone who has been in their shoes and can show them the way, the right way. Basically, “Someone like Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Darrell Green, etc. People who “had it all” and didn’t go around getting DUI’s, hitting their girlfriends, or smoking pot. This will help some players get a perspective on being a young star and how to behave.” (Lytle) I think anyone would agree that this idea would help out athletes today in endless amounts. For the reason that they have so much in common with one another. It’s like having a guidance counselor or dean in school. It’s someone to talk to about anything, whenever something’s on your mind or even just to talk. It can help endless amount in any way.
Professional athletes do find themselves getting in trouble often, at least in the National Football League. Here are 451 NFL player arrests or major citations compiled since 2000. (San Diego Sports)
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/apr/11/1s11nflrail224028/
Let’s see, what’s new… Twitter is! Harmless you would think right? Anyone on twitter following their favorite athletes is loving this. I’m sure the athletes themselves enjoy updating their statuses for their fans, letting them know what’s going on and all. Until they get hit with a fine for $25, 000. Then it isn’t so much fun anymore, unless you’re Terrell Owens who usually gets banged for one of these at least once a month and continues to do so.
http://mashable.com/2010/01/04/social-media-athletes/
Let’s turn things around. Athletes are portrayed in positive ways as well, it’s just not recognized nearly as often when their pointed out getting arrested or in some sort of trouble. What I find so appalling is the amount of charities and foundations founded by athletes. Here’s one of the most prestigious ones.
http://www.athletefoundations.com/index.asp
It’s so moving to see this. To know that there are vast amount of athletes doing their best to help out ones who are less fortunate is just heartwarming. More importantly, it isn’t just the money they donate, it’s the interaction. You see smiles on these children’s faces that are probably bigger than they’ve ever been. I can’t see why they wouldn’t, to spend some one on one time with some of your favorite professional athletes is a dream come true as well as life changing. I love seeing these commercials…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCCgYHpeuTQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVERz5D1YEU&feature=related
There are tons of charities, foundations, team functions, and other activities that associate professional athletes with people who are less fortunate. This makes me a firm believer in that Athletes are good people, for the fact that out of the goodness of their heart they take the time out of their busy schedules to do something to better themselves and more importantly someone else.
Let’s talk Tiger shall we? Yes Tiger Woods, probably the biggest sports headline of 2009. For those of you who don’t know (which I’m sure most of you do) Tiger Woods is going to go down as the best Golfer of all time. If he hasn’t already. Around this time last year, Tiger Woods’ true identity was revealed if you may. Sources stated that Tiger Woods had been cheating on his wife Elin Nordegren with a handful of female others. The exact number is still unknown till this day and likely never will be revealed. Some sources state this number could possible reach 2 dozen females but that is neither here nor there. Bottom line is, the man made a mistake (at first) but what then turned into an addiction. The rumors came out, and soon after, the story. We won’t get into details of the story but what happened in the end is what’s important. Tiger Woods was honest, and cooperative. He admitted to the acts of wrong doing he committed, and paid the price for it. Literally. After the case was finally resolved in court, Elin filed for divorce, won the case, and was granted half of what Tiger had owned. The amount of $700, 000, 000 was paid directly to her. That’s 700 MILLION DOLLARS.
So how do you portray Tiger? I know what every female thinks of him, that’s for sure. But I’m not here for other people’s opinions; I’m here to say what my thoughts are. So Tiger, if you’re listening: You’re not a bad guy. You’re an unbelievable athlete who slipped and fell through the cracks of life, and fell real deep. What happened happened, and now what’s important is what you’re doing now. The most important thing about making a mistake (which we all make) is what you do after it and how you respond. Doing whatever it takes to get back on top must remain the goal, and doing whatever it takes to be the best person one could possibly be. Keep in mind the most important parts of your life, your family and friends, and then your religion. With priorities kept straight, things will always work out.
Still on Tiger, know that the “Tiger Woods Foundation” has donated more than $30 million dollars to charities, foundations, countries, and communities worldwide.
We could get into similar stories, with the more of the world’s top athletes like Michael Vick, Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps and Dante Stallworth, but we would be here for days. Tiger’s is just my favorite. Although Michael Vick did something that pretty much sums up what we’re talking about here, athletes being portrayed in the media right? Michael Vick did some damage to athletes around the world, just for the fact that he’s a professional athlete and was involved with something so terrible. But just like Tiger, admitted his wrong doing, served his punishment, and is now on his rise back to the top. That’s what’s important. Even though he’s already there, for those of you who don’t watch as much football as me, Michael Vick is one of the top 3 quarterbacks in the NFL right now. So be happy for him, he made a mistake, learned from it, so far, and is back to doing what he loves best. Playing football and making millions of dollars for it.
So why does this happen? Let’s go back to what Dustin Lytle said I like how he puts it…
“As much as many would like, it is really not fair to compare these players to the common citizen and saying “It’s not difficult for me to refrain from these things”. Yeah, and you are also not 25 years old making 6 million dollars a year. You haven’t had everything you wanted since you were 16 years old. You haven’t had girls flocking to you for your money, kids and grown men alike chasing you around asking you to sign a piece of paper, and hanging out with a group of 53 other men around the same age who have the same ego. Players are bound to get into bad situations. People stand to make too much money off their mere presence for them not to. It is what they learn from these situations and how they react to them that really matters. Most players tend to make sensible choices, while others seem to flock to wrong decisions.”
Perfectly put.
Slightly outdated, (hence Tigers appearance) take a look at the video below on Athletes in the Media. Involved with athletics, charities, advertisements, and much more, athletes are all over the world as they will continue to represent a large portion of the life we live in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNACA8K97kM
So, what do you think? How are athletes portrayed in the media, in the judgmental world we live in today? Think what you want. I’m not for violence or crime of any sort, nor should anyone be. But when a professional athlete gets in trouble for something, know that there are at least two non-athletes committing a similar crime at the same time, if not more. The thought that runs through my mind most upon thinking about this topic, is a solution. Whether you’re a professional athlete, athlete in general, or just any normal citizen, find a role model. My favorites are a handful of athletes, probably the most looked up to athletes in the history of sports. Them being; Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Pete Samprus, Lance Armstrong, ect. Read about them, learn about them, and act like them. Some of the most successful people in history were Professional Athletes, and they were portrayed in nothing but positive ways. Be the best person you can possibly be, treat others with respect just as you like to be treated, and god forbid you make a mistake, learn from it. Thank you.
