Role Models
NBC Sports writer
Craig Calcaterra wrote on Twitter (on February 17, 2010): In other news, I don't do the athlete = role model thing. Anyone not named Woods or Nordgren who feels let down by Tiger was asking for it.
I disagree. Athletes will—and always have—whined when they were busted that no one should consider them a role model. Really? I bet if you asked most of them, they’d name the athletes they idolized as a small child. When they were six years old, playing baseball/football/golfing/curling, they didn’t pretend to be John Doe. They pretended to be Cal Ripkin or Kirby Puckett or Darryl Strawberry or whomever was the star of their generation/sport. If they would’ve met any of those guys and been treated rudely, they would’ve been hurt.
I’ve always felt athletes should get a little extra money because of the amount of work it takes to keep in game shape, and the fact that their careers are so short. Unless something amazing happens (winning a ton of money, for example), I will work until I’m 67 years old, provided I live that long. There is nothing stopping me. Sure, youngsters eventually will be better at my job as technology changes and they’re more up-to-date, but there’s nothing really stopping me from keeping current on technology and education to continue working until I’m 67. Athletes, however, are considered amazingly lucky if their careers last after they’re 40 (really, probably 35). They also should get compensation for their lack of privacy all too often. It’s not quite as easy for the Manning brothers to run to head out to the bar for the evening and play pool. Joe Mauer can’t go to the grocery store at 6 in the evening to buy Kemps Grip-and-Go milk and frosting.
But how much do they deserve for compensation? If I earn $5 million in my lifetime, I’ll consider that pretty good (unless there’s a period of extreme inflation). In fact, $2 million is a stretch. So, by that right, athletes should earn $5 million over their career. Let’s just double it, to account for the lack of privacy. How many athletes would play for $10 million for their career? Joe Mauer would be a fool to accept that much for next year, much less for the next ten years!
These guys are superstars because they’re good at sports. In reality, they didn’t sign up to be role models, but by choosing to become a professional athlete, they are. There was nothing stopping Tiger Woods from becoming an accountant, if he didn’t want to be a public role model.
Tiger Woods was never my role model, so I was less affected by this whole mess. In general, I don’t follow the gossip of what happens to celebrities in their downfalls. But I am aware of them. And I’m disappointed in them. They did sign up to be a role model, when they signed up for their job. (The only people who don’t sign up for their job and are role models—but are nonetheless compensated for it—are royalty. I give them a little more sympathy. Princes William and Henry of England didn’t ask to be born into the royal family. That’s where they were born. On the other hand, they have a lot of advantages as children of royalty that their contemporaries don’t.)
I’m not asking these guys to be perfect. What I am asking is for them to strive to do what’s right, and when they fail, admit it and apologize for it. We all make mistakes. I’m not holding them on a higher level in that respect. I am reminding them that they did sign up to be popular, and by signing up for that, they signed up to be watched. Be aware of what you’re teaching the children—whether it’s your own children, or the ones that idolize you.
Oh, and the Twins start their Spring Training schedule today. I’m excited!
Timberwolves update: They have a 0-3 record since I last reported. They’re now at 14-48, or a 22.6% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 6-54, reportedly on pace for a record year.
Wild Update: The Wild have a 31-27-4 record, for a 50.0% winning percentage. They won their first game back from the Olympic break. The Wild also traded second-line center Eric Belanger. The Wild Finnish representatives (Mikko Koivu, Antii Mietinen, and Niklas Backstrom) all have pretty bronze metals.
Craig Calcaterra wrote on Twitter (on February 17, 2010): In other news, I don't do the athlete = role model thing. Anyone not named Woods or Nordgren who feels let down by Tiger was asking for it.
I disagree. Athletes will—and always have—whined when they were busted that no one should consider them a role model. Really? I bet if you asked most of them, they’d name the athletes they idolized as a small child. When they were six years old, playing baseball/football/golfing/curling, they didn’t pretend to be John Doe. They pretended to be Cal Ripkin or Kirby Puckett or Darryl Strawberry or whomever was the star of their generation/sport. If they would’ve met any of those guys and been treated rudely, they would’ve been hurt.
I’ve always felt athletes should get a little extra money because of the amount of work it takes to keep in game shape, and the fact that their careers are so short. Unless something amazing happens (winning a ton of money, for example), I will work until I’m 67 years old, provided I live that long. There is nothing stopping me. Sure, youngsters eventually will be better at my job as technology changes and they’re more up-to-date, but there’s nothing really stopping me from keeping current on technology and education to continue working until I’m 67. Athletes, however, are considered amazingly lucky if their careers last after they’re 40 (really, probably 35). They also should get compensation for their lack of privacy all too often. It’s not quite as easy for the Manning brothers to run to head out to the bar for the evening and play pool. Joe Mauer can’t go to the grocery store at 6 in the evening to buy Kemps Grip-and-Go milk and frosting.
But how much do they deserve for compensation? If I earn $5 million in my lifetime, I’ll consider that pretty good (unless there’s a period of extreme inflation). In fact, $2 million is a stretch. So, by that right, athletes should earn $5 million over their career. Let’s just double it, to account for the lack of privacy. How many athletes would play for $10 million for their career? Joe Mauer would be a fool to accept that much for next year, much less for the next ten years!
These guys are superstars because they’re good at sports. In reality, they didn’t sign up to be role models, but by choosing to become a professional athlete, they are. There was nothing stopping Tiger Woods from becoming an accountant, if he didn’t want to be a public role model.
Tiger Woods was never my role model, so I was less affected by this whole mess. In general, I don’t follow the gossip of what happens to celebrities in their downfalls. But I am aware of them. And I’m disappointed in them. They did sign up to be a role model, when they signed up for their job. (The only people who don’t sign up for their job and are role models—but are nonetheless compensated for it—are royalty. I give them a little more sympathy. Princes William and Henry of England didn’t ask to be born into the royal family. That’s where they were born. On the other hand, they have a lot of advantages as children of royalty that their contemporaries don’t.)
I’m not asking these guys to be perfect. What I am asking is for them to strive to do what’s right, and when they fail, admit it and apologize for it. We all make mistakes. I’m not holding them on a higher level in that respect. I am reminding them that they did sign up to be popular, and by signing up for that, they signed up to be watched. Be aware of what you’re teaching the children—whether it’s your own children, or the ones that idolize you.
Oh, and the Twins start their Spring Training schedule today. I’m excited!
Timberwolves update: They have a 0-3 record since I last reported. They’re now at 14-48, or a 22.6% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 6-54, reportedly on pace for a record year.
Wild Update: The Wild have a 31-27-4 record, for a 50.0% winning percentage. They won their first game back from the Olympic break. The Wild also traded second-line center Eric Belanger. The Wild Finnish representatives (Mikko Koivu, Antii Mietinen, and Niklas Backstrom) all have pretty bronze metals.
posted by thisisbeth | 9:30 AM
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