Annotated Bibliography
Abrams, Roger I. The Athlete as Role Model. Sept. 23, 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roger-i-abrams/the-athlete-as-role-model_b_5870816.html>
Abrams notes that the ever-increasing scandals that rock the American athletics have necessitated the need to review the role played by athletes in the American culture. While athletes may have been viewed as role models in the past two centuries on account of their accomplishments in the field, and in spite of their misconduct and unruly behaviour off the pitch, they were still regarded as role models. However, the 21st century has brought a paradigm shift whereby the public started seeing athletes as celebrities. Their private life has become a public mater as it helps to generate sales. In the end, they self-destruct and ruin their reputation and that of their sponsors. A person wonders if there are any more true sports heroes upon whom our youths can look up to.
Buksa, Ivan and Ann Mitsis (2011). “Generation Y’s athlete role model perceptions on PWOM behaviour’, International Journal of Advertising and Marketing to Children, vol. 12, no. 4, p. 337-347.
The youth are more likely to be influenced by people who impact their lives and behaviour. Athletes, because of the huge publicity that they receive on the media, are ideal candidates to be regarded as role models. Buksa and Mitsis found out in their study that Generation Y views athletes as having an influence on their lives, and hence look up to them as role models. While this source does not dwell in-depth on whether athletes make good models, it can be deduce from the findings that young people will obviously want to emulate athletes including their behaviour and values.
Davidson, Max. Today’s sports personalities are unfit to be heroes. July 07 2011. Web. 13 February, 2016. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/8623707/Todays-sports-personalities-are-unfit-to-be-heroes.html>
The article analyzes various scandals that have plagued the lives of today’s football stars in the EPL (English Premier League). Davidson opines that past sporting heroes achieved major feats but still carried themselves with dignity off the pitch. They learned to differentiate their private life from their professional life, something that lacks among the current athletes who yearn for celebrity status. This generation of athletes has also been implicated in more scandals because they attach less importance to moral values and the need to espouse these.
Gerdy, John R. Sports: The All-American Addiction. University Press of Mississippi, 2002. Print.
In his book, Gerdy underscores the importance that the Americans attach to sports. The author claims that the establishment of athletic programs is geared towards promoting athletes as heroes or role models. The ensuing of public good will is good for selling merchandise and tickets, thus generating revenue. This prompts Gerdy to opine that the process of developing and nurturing role models and heroes in modern day sports is more about generating corporate profits. Therefore, encouraging young children and the youth to emulate such athletes as role models is not in society’s best interests since athletes are not true role models.
LeMier, Kaytlin (2008),’Relationship between Athletes and Role Models’, Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato, vol. 8, no. 7, pp. 1-14.
There has been an ongoing debate as to whether professional athletes should be deemed as role models to our youths. LeMier, through this study, reports that most young children look up to athletes as role models. Since being an athlete is a choice, athletes have to account for their behaviour on and off court or field, although they are still entitled to their private lives. However, considering the zeal, which the media go about publicizing the choices and actions of athletes, LeMier has failed to reveal how much of such details should be exposed.
Smoll, Frank L Are Athletes Good Role Models? April 20, 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/coaching-and-parenting-young-athletes/201504/are-athletes-good-role-models
A role model is someone that people aspire to be like in terms of success or behaviour. Based on this description, Smoll maintains that athletes qualify to be role models. The society has taught our adolescents to depend on athletes as their role models. Although there is a good number of athletes who have kept their reputation intact on and off the field or pitch, others have fallen from grace after being implicated in doping scandals. As parents, people should learn to not allow their children to be attached to sports as their role models to avoid being disappointed.
Soltman, Herb. “Storytelling: Can sports hero be a role model? Yes, thankfully. October 17, 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2016. <http://www.post-gazette.com/news/portfolio/2014/10/17/Storytelling-Can-a-sports-hero-be-a-role-model-Yes-thankfully/stories/201410170009>
In the past few years, there has been a debate on whether athletes are good role models to young people. Based on his encounter with Hank Greenberg, Herb, a baseball player with the Pirates nearly seven decades ago, is of the opinion that both upcoming and current athletes should view themselves as role models. Herb talks about how he was embarrassed by Hank Greenberg when he reminded him about the need to say please while requesting for his autobiography. This shows that athletes have a huge influence on the lives of young people and should thus act as role models in moulding their character.
Rhodes, William C. Seeing through the illusions of the sports hero. The New York Times. October 21, 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/sports/seeing-through-the-illusions-of-the-sports-hero.html?_r=0>
The public seems to be deluded that high-profile athletes, on account of their celebrity status, qualify to be role models. Rhodes opines that this is a mere illusion. The shear number of high-profile athletes who have been implicated in doping and sex scandals is a clear indication that these may not be the people that we would want our children to grow looking up to. Despite athletes’ many accomplishments, a single scandal can ruin their reputation. While sports athletes may be heroes in our eyes, this is not the same as being role models. While their prowess and talent may awe people, role modelling is about virtues, which most athletes currently lack.
Teitelbaum, Stanley H. Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols. U of Nebraska Press, 2005. Print.
In his book, Teitelbaum explores how our sports athletes exhibit a prowess and natural grace in the field and the court that often leave their fans mesmerized. The same however cannot be said about their off the field experiences as our athletes frequently lose their balance, perspectives, and place. This is evident by the numerous drug-induced scandals in the news headlines. This is the tale of many star athletes who encounter many challenges that lead to their fall. Our sports heroes would not therefore make the best role models for future generations as the image that they portray reflects depreciating moral values.
Works Cited
Abrams, Roger I. The Athlete as Role Model. Sept. 23, 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roger-i-abrams/the-athlete-as-role-model_b_5870816.html
Buksa, Ivan and Ann Mitsis (2011). “Generation Y’s athlete role model perceptions on PWOM behaviour’, International Journal of Advertising and Marketing to Children, vol. 12, no. 4, p. 337-347.
Davidson, Max. Today’s sports personalities are unfit to be heroes. July 07 2011. Web. 13 February, 2016. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/8623707/Todays-sports-personalities-are-unfit-to-be-heroes.html>
Gerdy, John R. Sports: The All-American Addiction. University Press of Mississippi, 2002. Print.
LeMier, Kaytlin (2008),’Relationship between Athletes and Role Models’, Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato, vol. 8, no. 7, pp. 1-14.
Smoll, Frank L. Are Athletes Good Role Models? April 20, 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/coaching-and-parenting-young-athletes/201504/are-athletes-good-role-models
Soltman, Herb. “Storytelling: Can sports hero be a role model? Yes, thankfully. October 17, 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2016. http://www.post-gazette.com/news/portfolio/2014/10/17/Storytelling-Can-a-sports-hero-be-a-role-model-Yes- thankfully/stories/201410170009
Rhodes, William C. Seeing through the illusions of the sports hero. The New York Times. October 21, 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/sports/seeing-through-the-illusions-of-the-sports-hero.html?_r=0>
Teitelbaum, Stanley H. Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols. U of Nebraska Press, 2005. Print.