Professional Athletes As Role Models

Sports and Culture

I've known for quite a while that there's no corollary between athletic ability, character and maturity. In fact, when watching some of the antics of professional athletes it often seems as if we're watching overgrown children instead of mature adults. There are many reasons for this but much of it has to with the culture from where the athletes come from. The truth is that many of the players that make up the rosters of NFL and NBA teams comes from inner city thug like environments where many would probably be in jail or dead if not for their exceptional athletic ability. In many ways, sports is just a reflection of a society that becomes more coarser all the time. Expecting professional athletes that in many cases come from harsh unforgiving segments of society to act like gentlemen is like "trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear". I remember growing up in a different era and following athletes like 'Brooks Robinson', a classy guy if there ever was one. But this is a different world we live in today and that includes the world of professional sports and the athletes that play the game.