Olympic Role Models

While listening to Craig and Eve discuss how sports games affect nationality, it made me think of how one specific athlete can affect a nation. Sports have become such a large part of everyone’s lives. For most people, if you don’t at least play a sport, you watch them. I think that at this point, society just assumes an Olympic athlete is a good role model, but this is not always true. Being a good swimmer, high jumper, or fast runner doesn’t necessarily mean you posses the qualities to be a national role model. Most people think that because these athletes are Olympic worthy that they must also be worthy of our respect and admiration, which is not always the case.

An Olympic athlete is an icon that represents a country, and someone who is looked up to by the people of that nation. But some athletes aren’t role model material. I’m not saying that all Olympic athletes are bad, I just think that they don’t automatically deserve our high regard. Michael Phelps is a good example of this. He has won many gold medals and for a while was a huge national icon. Everyone in the US, young and old, admired him. Last year a picture was released in a British tabloid showing Michael Phelps smoking out of a bong, which ruined his reputation. This is not a figure that I would want my children to look up to, even if he is an amazing athlete. Before the drug scandal, Phelps was also brought to court and pleaded guilty on driving under the influences charges. If that picture never made it into the tabloids, everyone would keep assuming he is perfect. That picture just shows that not all athletes are national role-model material, some do drugs and drive under the influence.

Another good example of Olympic athletes being poor role models is Tonya Harding. Tonya Harding was a figure skater that hired her ex-husband to attack her biggest competition and fellow Olympian, Nancy Kerrigan. With Kerrigan out of the picture, Harding could skate her way to first place. Tonya Harding was an impressive figure skater, but a poor reflection on the US and a horrible role model for young aspiring skaters to have. She lied and cheated her way to victory. Not only was a she a liar and a cheater, but she also physically harmed someone to win. She clearly took the desire to win, a little too far. She teaches children that you have to attack your opponents to get what you want.

Being fishlike in the water or being an incredible figure skater does not make you a role model. Olympic athletes are supposed to bring pride to ones country, but more often then not they bring scandal. As a nation we perceive these athletes as being perfect and God like. We think that because they’re the best at what they do, they must be perfect in every other aspect. But that is certainly not true.