Quote:
Originally posted by JRutledge
I agree with the statements of Charles Barkley on this one. I did not look up to athletes as role models. At least not they are not when it came to my life choices. I even did not try to act like any athlete on the court. I had coaches that punished us for behavior when the officials did not. Who cares what athletes do if the adults in contact with those kids take action? I worked a scrimmage right before the season and one of the players complained they did not foul when I called one. The coach immediately said, "Don't you dare say you did not foul, the official called a foul did he not?" The player got the message and we had not more complaining. This coach even said to me, "I hate it when they do that, you called the foul, it must have been a foul." I was more afraid of my parents than anything. When I was a kid and I would do things on the court of field that was suspect, it might have been my Mom that took me out of practice or off a game. If athletes are role models to these kids, the parents and coaches are dropping the ball. It is always funny when a coach starts complaining about the officiating, the players start complaining to. The coach controls himself; the players for some reason control themselves. Interesting how that works out.
Peace
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Rut,
I agree with this, for the most part. My rant was not meant to diminish the parental and coaching responsibility here. I've seen it, too. The more a coach gripes, the more the players complain. The more he coaches, the more his players play.
Whether you or I emulated or looked up to NBA players is really irrelevant. Growing up, I looked up to such players as John Stockton, Karl Malone, Kevin Johnson, Larry Bird, etc. Guys who played hard. I looked up to them as players, however, and nothing more.
That said, there is nothing inherent in the game of basketball that makes prowess at it as valuable as it is today. That value comes strictly from the fans who watch it, and a good portion of that value comes from those who pay money knowing that kids will emulate these guys.
Are parents responsible for not stopping this behavior? Absolutely. But society is also responsible for rewarding the same behavior from our celebrities.
Advertisers know these guys are emulated, or Jordan wouldn't have made nearly what he did on endorsements. Endorsements are the purest proof of what I'm saying here. Even their regular contracts are largely resulting from being "role models" in that a good portion of the NBA's revenue comes from television; which is 100% paid for by advertising sponsors.