Isabella Casale

Professor Ferrara

ENGL 1001 

9 May 2022

Should Athletes Be Role Models?

         Throughout life, it is natural to look up to others. Having role models is beneficial

because it inspires and pushes younger people to work towards admirable goals and qualities.

Role models can be family, friends, celebrities, pro-athletes, etc., but they are most commonly

seen in the media. They can be seen as life coaches; they teach others throughout life and provide

guidance, no matter what the circumstances are. Athletes should be role models because they

teach children about hard work, good morals, and provide an example of how to be successful.

Role models possess desirable qualities and inspire others to be their best, which I believe

athletes do: athletes often use their fame, money, and influence to create positive changes in a

community and provide good life lessons for children. 

        Being a part of an athletic team requires hard work, dedication, loyalty, and persistence.

Athletes have to show up to every practice and game, put in their best effort, and get up each

time they fall down or fail. All of these qualities can be seen while watching sporting games,

especially in professional leagues. Professional athletes have the ability to make an impact on

others because of the national and even global attention they get from their young fans. Young

children watching these athletes, admire the qualities they see and will want to display these

qualities themselves, making them positive role models for a good, hard-working attitude. 

Another way that athletes act as role models is through encouraging athletes to inspire

and encourage young children to play sports and be active. When children watch athletes they
admire, they will strive to be like them which often leads to an interest in sports. Playing sports is

very beneficial, especially for the youth in America. There has been an increasing rate of child

obesity and sedentary lifestyles in our country, which can lead to major health problems. Any

way to get children outside and active is great, and athletes play a strong role in this interest.

Another benefit to encouraging sports is the opportunities they can provide. Children who are

inspired to play sports and work hard can earn scholarships that will help them to further their

education when they may not have been able to do so otherwise. These can also lead to careers

that turn people's lives around, especially those who grow up in lower income families and do

not have access to the resources other children have. 

One way that athletes can also be role models is through making a name for themselves

after coming from nothing. One of the greatest examples of an athlete that has become successful

from nothing is Lebron James. He and his mom Gloria have faced financial struggles, but his

hard work in basketball helped him to create a better situation for his family. One article on him

states, “By then, James had already spent two-thirds of his life essentially without a home,

moving every few months with Gloria from one apartment to the next” (Bleacher Report).

Lebron James is now an extremely successful professional athlete. He exemplifies how

professional athletes give children that are less fortunate than others hope that they can be great

and that their dreams can come true. 

  Pro-athletes can also guide children to success. This could be success found through

sports, but it could also be any success in their lives. The qualities they display in the game are

valuable in all aspects of life including school, jobs, and relationships. They can also teach

children the valuable life lessons that they have learned over the many years of playing a sport. If

a child plays a sport, they typically have a favorite player that they idolize and try to mimic. That
child watches every game their favorite player plays in, wishing to meet this player and maybe

someday be just like him or her. This might start with an interest in sports, but the lessons and

qualities they first admired are likely to stick with them as they grow up and try new things,

allowing said athlete to be a role model for a child.

While being idolized can be beneficial since it gives athletes the platform to provide great

advice, it also has its downside. Athletes and professional players need to understand that their

every move is being watched by, not just by one child, but also by many other people depending

on the level they are playing at. Therefore, athletes need to set a good example for children, just

like their favorite player did when they were young. Hard work is one of the most important life

lessons in every scenario. If you are not trying hard you might as well not try at all. As LZ

Granderson, a columnist for ESPN The Magazine, said, “There is no shame in black athletes not

wanting to be role models, but they should be ashamed when they don't behave like one. It's a

free country and people can do whatever they want. But just because we can doesn't mean we

should” (LZ Granderson). This goes for all athletes because someone looks up to them whether it

is someone they have never met, a friend, a family member, or a sibling. If they do something

wrong, not only are they hurting themselves, but they are disappointing the people that support

them. Athletes also have the chance to show kids good sportsmanship on and off the field. Harry

Sheehy once said, “It is your response to winning and losing that makes you a winner or a loser”

(Raising a Team Player). This is a great concept that reflects on the idea of sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship is defined as a “conduct (such as fairness, respect for one's opponent, and

graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport” (Merriam-Webster).

These are the lessons that stick with children and adults for life; winning and losing does not

define the person one can be, rather it is how one reacts to the situation that defines them.
Anyone can be a role model and can inspire people to do what is right, but there is a certain thing

about athletes that makes them seem incredible. It may be their work ethic or the impact they

make on people and all of the things they can achieve that makes them so impressive.

In addition to displaying great qualities, athletes can also use their fame and money to

make a difference in a community. They have the opportunity to make a change with the

influence and power that they have. So many kids all over the world look up to athletes for many

reasons such as new moves to use in games, attitude on the courts, and what they say to

interviewers after a win or a loss. Parents also need to start to teach their children to not

completely listen to everything their favorite player says or does. Every player has a bad game

and sometimes their emotions get the best of them, but they cannot let that affect their play. This

is one of the lessons that kids need to take away from watching professional athletes and

continue to push through even if something bad happens. Athletes can also promote a healthy

lifestyle through their social media and by doing comical commercials for their fans. Kids love

watching their favorite player on television and aspire to be someone like their favorite player

one day.
 In my survey I asked a series of

questions about role models in general,

then brought in the aspect of athletes

being role models. I had seventeen

responses overall. I started off with the

question, “Do you have a role model?” which

was one hundred percent yes. Then I proceeded

to ask the respondents to “list three qualities you look for in a role model.” In response to listing

three qualities of a role model, some common responses were smart, hardworking, kind,

determined and compassionate; while a couple others said leadership, selflessness, and loyalty.

From this, I asked if they see these qualities in athletes. Fourteen respondents said yes to athletes

possessing those qualities and three said no. I then asked, “Who is an athlete you have as a role

model? (if you don’t say N/A)” and only six people responded with N/A. Out of the other eleven

responses, eight people said a male professional athlete and three said a female professional

athlete. Then for my last question I asked, “Overall, do you think athletes should be role

models?” The responses were 81.3% yes and 18.8% no. Although I didn’t ask, I would infer it

would be because 62.5% said they did or currently do look up to an athlete as a role model and

37.5% said they never have. Multiple respondents in the survey never played a sport and don’t

even watch them which leads me to believe that they never had an interest in athletes, making it

unlikely to have an athlete as a role model. 

Going along with my survey, one of my scholarly articles presented an argument about

females and males and whether or not they look up to a female or male athlete. More often than

not, males view male athletes as their role models and females consider male athletes as their
role models as well. My survey had sixteen responses and only three people said they look up to

female athletes. Three of the respondents were males and the other thirteen were females. This

survey also consisted of six people responding “N/A” to having an athlete as a role model. The

source, “I Would Like to Be Like Her/Him: Are Athletes Role-Models for Boys and Girls?” in

the European Physical Education Review by Claudia Biskup and Gertrud Pfister starts by

explaining the meaning and different interpretations of what it means to be a role model and

what qualifies a role model. It includes different studies done on role models and ultimately

concludes that the majority of role models are men, especially when it comes to athletes. It also

adds that typically younger boys look up to athletes as role models. Usually, the qualities

younger boys look for in athletic role models are strength and hard work. In contrast, young girls

do not often see athletes as role models because they look up to more feminine qualities that they

see in celebrities and movie stars. It uses a sociological perspective to find the reason for this and

the effect of athletes being role models. The author’s main argument is that athletes can be good

role models, but if they are only role models because of strength and aggression, it can be a cause

for young boys justifying violence. I agree partially with this argument because I think athletes

can be good role models, but I do not think that athletes cause boys to be aggressive to the extent

the author is arguing.

  Athletes should be role models because they teach kids about hard work and

sportsmanship, inspire young children, and they have the chance to do something with their fame

and make a difference in the world. No matter what, children are always going to have their

favorite player and look up to them. As stated in the article on Psychology Today, “Like it or not,

our society has a strong dependence on athletes as role models for children and adolescents”

(Psychology Today). When an athlete decides to become a professional athlete, they should also
be committing to the fact that they could have a huge impact on someone. They should know to

not do anything morally wrong or illegal because someone in the world looks up to them, even

when they mess up. Every athlete looks up to someone and every athlete has a favorite player.

Ultimately, athletes should be role models because of the influence they have over younger

generations.

Works Cited

Mumford, Stephen. “Should Athletes Be Role Models?” Watching Sport, Routledge, 2012, pp.

99-109, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203807118-14. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022. 

The book Watching Sport: Aesthetic, Ethics, and Emotion, by Stephen Mumford,

discusses the moral implications of watching sports. It argues that while some people may think

watching sports is just a source of entertainment, people will actually reflect on the qualities of

the athletes they are watching. This argues that athletes have no obligation to be role models. It

states that athletes will display valued qualities like teamwork, sportsmanship, and determination

while playing, however, in their personal lives they may not be so admirable. 

I don’t agree with what this source is saying. I think that not all athletes show bad

characteristics in their personal lives. I also think there are a good amount of athletes that show

very good qualities in both their professional and personal lives and use their fame for good. Any

famous person will be seen by many as a figure to look up to, so I think they do have a certain

obligation to be role models.

“It is arguable therefore that the media's actions are more responsible for any imitation

than the players, for they have set up the context in which there can be publicity for bad

behavior.” I picked this quote because he is arguing that the athletes themselves should not be
held responsible for their bad behavior, but the media should for exploiting it. I think he is trying

to show that athletes, just like everyone else, make mistakes. This is especially interesting

because his argument is that we shouldn’t look up to athletes because of their mistakes, but then

claims that it isn’t their fault we know about them. I like that he is trying to express that just

because they are great in sports, they are not perfect. I think this point however weakens his

argument because he is actually showing that athletes do have faults but shouldn’t be blamed for

them.

 I can use this as a counter argument because not all athletes display bad qualities in their

personal lives, and many actually lead great lives and use their fame for good. Also, most people

who look up to athletes focus on them during their performances.

“We have seen why having role models is not a good idea insofar as it is not a reliable

way of imparting moral education.” I think this quote is important because it will help strengthen

my argument that this contrary argument is invalid. He claims that athletes should not be role

models, but then further explains that no one should be seen as a role model. Role models are

actually very beneficial and many people, including many athletes, are great people to model

one’s life after. Role models teach people the values they want to live up to and can make people

strive to be better people. I can use this to prove why this is not a good belief and why athletes

should be role models.

Biskup, Claudia, and Gertrud Pfister. “I Would Like to Be Like Her/Him: Are Athletes Role-

Models for Boys and Girls?” European Physical Education Review, vol. 5, no. 3, North West

Counties Physical Education Association and SAGE Publications, 1999, pp. 199–218,

https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X990053003. Accessed 21 Apr. 2022. 

 This source in the European Physical Education Review by Claudia Biskup and Gertrud

Pfister starts by explaining the meaning and different interpretations of what it means to be a role

model and what qualifies a role model. It includes different studies done on role models. It

concludes that the majority of role models are men, especially when it comes to athletes. It also

adds that typically younger boys look up to athletes as role models. Usually, the qualities

younger boys look for in athletic role models are strength and hard work. In contrast, young girls

do not often see athletes as role models because they look up to more feminine qualities that they

see in celebrities and movie stars. It uses a sociological perspective to find the reason for this and

the effect of athletes being role models.

The main point of the source is to explain why and the effect of boys having athletes as

role models and girls not. The author’s main argument is that athletes can be good role models,

but if they are only role models because of strength and aggression it can be a cause for young

boys justifying violence. I agree partially with this argument, but I do not think that athletes

cause boys to be aggressive to the extent the author is arguing.

“It can be gathered from the statements made by the children that boys admire their idols’

superiority.” I think this is interesting because, while girls value feminine qualities and

subconsciously look at role models that show subordination, boys highly value superiority. This

could lead to young boys believing that boys are superior to girls. While the author is not

explicitly talking about just athletes here, it is opening to how the media can influence young

minds. 

“Sports idols and sporting successes do seem to be able to influence the interest and the

active participation in sport of the population at large.” This quote is important and can be used

in my paper because it agrees with my argument that athletes should be role models. This proves
that they inspire athleticism which can encourage kids to try out for sports and get scholarships

to further their education or even make careers out of sports. It is also beneficial because obesity

and sedentary lifestyles are a dangerous increasing trend in our society and athletes can help to

break this habit. 

I plan to use this to argue in favor that athletes should be role models. I can also use it if I

want to include the differences between boys’ and girls’ role models and why that is significant.

I can also use it to argue the pros and cons of athletes being role models.

"I'M NOT A ROLE MODEL." Newsweek, 27 June 1993, www.newsweek.com/im-not-role-

model-193808. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

This article in Newsweek by the Newsweek staff called “I’m not a role model” discusses

Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley and their viewpoints on themselves being role models as

athletes. Although this article is from 1993, not much has changed on this debate of athletes

being role models and Charles Barkley had much to say on the topic. The article discusses how

everyone loved watching Jordan score 50 plus points in a game and watching him dunk either in

person or on a tv. But does doing this make him a model? 

The main point of this article is to highlight how athletes feel about the pressure of being

a role model and living up to the expectations that are put on them. These athletes love their

sport and they love when all eyes are on them on the court but outside of the game the attention

is not so loved especially when they make a mistake. 

Charles Barkley said “I’m not paid to be a role model. I’m paid to wreak havoc on the

basketball court.” Barkley has a good point; he is being paid to put points on the board and win

the game of the sport he loves but that doesn’t account for the moral aspect of his bad actions off

the court and the effect that it has on younger generations. 

 This article also shows how other people feel about Barkley's comment on his

responsibility of being an athlete and role model. A lot of people feel that this is just his excuse

to do whatever he wants and not have eyes on him at all times. Phil Mushnick said, “Funny, how

big shots accept all the trapping of role model dom - especially the residual commercial cash-

before they renounce their broader responsibilities to society.” I liked this quote because it

highlighted how an athlete's role is not just on the court it comes with the responsibility of

society too. And oftentimes athletes get in trouble or suspended for doing things outside of

games and practices because their actions don’t reflect what the program stands for. 

I plan to use this in my essay as an athlete's strong point of view on why they do not want

to be seen as a role model. I can use it to show how athletes feel about the pressure that's put on

them to not make mistakes or do bad things outside of the game. I can use this to argue with my

own opinion and other sources on how being a role model is also part of being a professional

athlete. 

Ziemer, Tracy L. "Study Says Kids Emulate Athletes." ABC News, 6 Jan. 2006,

abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=100296. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.

The article “Study Says Kids Emulate Athletes” on ABC News by Tracy L. Ziemer

discusses how children look up to athletes to drive their future dreams, they also imitate their bad

behaviors. It states that “kids are learning lessons about sports and life from watching famous

athletes.” This article also discusses the Charles Barkley comment and gives statistics on the

study of how children feel about athletes and how they view them. 

I agree with what this article states about how much children look up to athletes on and

off the courts and fields, because I think about when I was a young athlete, I think about how
much I looked up to athletes and how I always had multiple favorite players that I looked up to.

Although I never would take into too much consideration what athletes did outside of the court, I

know other kids paid attention to that a lot more; I did however pay attention to their actions on

the court such as yelling at the refs or having a bad attitude toward teammates and it definitely

left an impact on me whether it was good or bad. 

I like this article a lot because it gives a lot of statistics and percentages that accurately

show how kids respond to their favorite athletes' actions. Bob Still said, “Kids… will definitely

take their cue from their heroes on TV. Four years ago, when Roberto Alomar spit on umpire

John Hirchbeck, we had never had an incident like that before at the youth level. But after that,

we have had three calls reporting spitting.” I picked this quote because I think it shows how kids

will pick up on the bad habits of athletes and do things like spitting on umpires. 

Another interesting thing that came from the survey was that kids don’t even have that

good a view on athletes and that they pick up on the fact that all they care about sometimes is

just the money and fame, although they did agree that they worked hard to get to that point. I

think that a really big point of this article is that kids pick up on everything adults do, and a lot of

times adults don’t even realize it and especially professional athletes, who don’t even know these

kids have thousands of little eyes on them. 

I can use this in my essay to show how much kids look up to athletes and give specific

statistics to back up my points. I think it is a really good article to show how much kids really do

look up to athletes and “emulate” everything they do. 

Bleacher Report. 17 Aug. 2014, bleacherreport.com/articles/2163388-most-inspiring-from-rags-

to-riches-sports-stories#slide6. Accessed 5 May 2022.

Bright, Michelle. "Should athletes be role models?" NEIUIndependent, 21 Feb. 2017,

neiuindependent.org/7733/sports/should-athletes-be-role-models/. Accessed 9 Jan. 2020.

Civin, Todd. "Should Athletes Be Role Models?" Bleacher Report, 11 May 2009,

bleacherreport.com/articles/172759-do-athletes-have-what-it-takes-to-be-role-models. Accessed

5 May 2022.

D'Adamo, Vince. "Remembering Charles Barkley's role model theory." St. Helena Star, 23 July

2014, napavalleyregister.com/community/star/sports/remembering-charles-barkley-s-role-model-

theory/article_e8855e8f-ba4e-5b95-a899-1a084a8b06ca.html. Accessed 3 May 2022.

Fayyaz, Naveed. "Why role models are important." Dawn, 29 Sept. 2018,

www.dawn.com/news/1435581. Accessed 28 Apr. 2022.

"5 Professional Athletes Who Make Great Role Models." In Sports, insportscenters.com/5-

professional-athletes-who-make-great-role-models/. Accessed 19 Apr. 2022.

"A GOOD SPORT: THE PROS AND CONS OF ATHLETES AS ROLE MODELS." USA

Today, classifieds.usatoday.com/blog/sports-recreation/a-good-sport-the-pros-and-cons-of-

athletes-as-role-models/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.

Granderson, LZ. "Black (and Every Other Color) Is Beautiful." ESPN, 14 Jan. 2014,

www.espn.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=granderson/110114. Accessed 29 Apr. 2022.

Ireland, Kay. "The Pros & Cons of the Influence of Sports Athletes on Kids." SportsRec, 31 Oct.

2018, www.sportsrec.com/6814820/the-pros-cons-of-the-influence-of-sports-athletes-on-kids.

Accessed 2 May 2022.

Sheehy, Harry. Raising a Team Player. Storey Publishing, 2012.

Smith, Claire. "Sports of The Times; The Debate: Athletes as Role Models." New York Times, 23

July 1993, www.nytimes.com/1993/07/23/sports/sports-of-the-times-the-debate-athletes-as-role-

models.html. Accessed 21 Apr. 2022.

Smoll, Frank L. "Are Athletes Good Role Models?" Psychology Today , 20 Apr. 2015,

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/coaching-and-parenting-young-athletes/201504/are-athletes-

good-role-models. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.

"Sportsmanship." Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sportsmanship.

Accessed 3 May 2022.