Morality in Athletes: An Examination

Morality is one's ability to make the distinction between right and wrong, good or bad behavior. This is a characteristic that is very important in the majority of people's lives as it can be the difference between keeping a good job and moving up in the world and losing your livelihood due to some questionable choices or words. Former NBA star and hall of famer Charles Barkley once proclaimed that he is 'not a role model' and shouldn't be held to the high moral standards that people place upon him. At the same time, we also see the NBA as well as every other major sports league stressing the morality of its employees and players above all else. This is a polarizing topic amongst most fans who either believe that athletes are role models, whether they want to be or not, and should be held to a higher standard in their private lives as well as their public lives, or fans who feel that athletes are just people playing a game at a high level and should not have their actions in the game be placed under such a microscope. It is, However, important to understand that both of these arguments have merit and that the answer is somewhere in the middle.

One example of how some believe athletes should not be role models comes from the understanding and dismissal of the concept of “sportsmanship” which is defined as “conduct (such as fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport” (Merriam-Webster). How one follows the rules of sportsmanship often dictates how the public sees that athlete as a person outside the game. In 2014, an NFL player named Richard Sherman, following a playoff victory, was subject to massive amounts of criticism on his character after he spoke negatively of a player from the opposing team in a postgame interview. This resulted in many fans on twitter telling Sherman he was a bad person and even going as far as calling him racial slurs. This is something Sherman did not deserve just because he violated some unwritten code of morals instituted by fans that dictate how an athlete should behave. Jimin He of Yale news wrote of the incident “While athletes should absolutely be emulated for their athletic achievements, they should not serve as our moral compass. We like our athletes bland and devoid of individuality so that we can impose our views and our personality on them and live vicariously through them.” (He). In general, we as people think that people who accomplish great things should also be great people. This, however, does not and can not always hold up as Athletes are not heroes, they are entertainers. He goes on to state that imposing a heroic image on athletes can actually be harmful, saying that “By equating athletic accomplishments with the idea of a transcendental hero, we plant in the mind of successful athletes the idea that they are somehow beyond the rules that bind the behaviors of other people.” (He). He makes a very compelling argument against us as people placing so much importance on an athlete's actions on the field forming our opinion on who they are as people.

Another one of the more recent events to occur that polarized the debate about athletes and morality was when former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel at the playing of the national anthem before games. He was doing this as a protest against police brutality in America but some saw this as Kaepernick disrespecting veterans and the flag of the country. His actions enraged many people who believed that the NFL should step in and ban players from kneeling and 'disrespecting the country'. Savannah Haas of The State Press actually argues that Kaepernick's morality was inconsequential as something like standing or kneeling for the flag is not, in and of itself, a disrespectful action, but is decided on by the public. She states that 'Fans are outraged because Kaepernick doesn't agree with their personal beliefs… Kaepernick did not decide to be seen as influential – America decided he was.' (Haas) she goes on to argue that 'The public is not qualified to determine how and when professional athletes are punished. Athletes should be reprimanded for misrepresenting their organizations and their countries, not for being perceived as 'morally unjust' people.' It is argued by some that Kaepernick should not have been given a platform to express his political opinion as he is just an athlete and athletes should just play their sport. Some see watching sports as a break from the constant political news cycle we have today and would rather not mix the two in any way. Kaepernick is currently unemployed as an NFL player with several people (including most NFL owners, apparently) still convinced that he is a bad person based on his actions from three years ago. This is a situation that would have been way less overblown if Kaepernick wasn't a successful NFL quarterback, the most coveted job in american sports and the most expected to tow the company line and do nothing controversial. This is definitely an example of the public thinking a player is not “upholding a high moral standard”, due to something completely unrelated to morals, and casting him aside as a sacrificial lamb.

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When examining why athletes should be held to higher standards morally, it is important to realize that, whether it's right or wrong, most professional athletes are being constantly monitored by the media inside and outside of work. When referring to Charles Barkley’s comment that he and athletes are not role models, Ben Denson of The Cornell Daily Sun refutes this claim saying “Chuck can say he isn’t a role model as much as he wants, but it’s hard to deny the fact that millions of people listen to his words almost every night on Inside the NBA on TNT.” (Denson). He goes on to give an example of why one of the greatest athletes in sports today, LeBron James, is in fact a role model, stating “Let’s appeal to emotion and use the rags-to-riches cliche. A vast majority of professional athletes in the MLB, NBA and NFL... came from impoverished areas across the world and particularly in the United States. If LeBron James isn’t a role model for using his talent to make millions of dollars and be thought of as the greatest athlete today, then I’m not sure what a role model is.” (Denson) Millions of kids can see LeBron and other athletes that share similar backgrounds as them and they will, inevitably, look up to them, paying attention to what they use their platform to say and be influenced by this. Maybe this is not something the athlete asked for or even wants but, the reality is that, with the athletic gifts given to them they are then given millions of dollars to play a game and with that, they are also given power and influence that most people only dream of. It may not be that these gifts are always given to the best of people but, even then, when the athletic talent and money are squandered, it can serve as a cautionary tale to younger generations.

When trying to bring both sides of the debate on athletes and morality together, it is important to see both sides of the argument. Athletes are, regardless of how fast they run, how high they jump, or how far they can throw, human. However, it is not every human that is given a multimillion dollar contract as well as the opportunity to interact with the media on a daily basis. It should be understood though, that the majority of these people are fairly young and almost all are inexperienced in dealing with the media. It is also unfair to make up one's mind on an athlete and the type of person they are in their private lives just because they displayed “poor sportsmanship” and to understand that the concept of “sportsmanship” is just a construct that, in and of itself, means nothing in terms of that person's personal life. I believe the answer to this debate relies in the middle of the two extremes in that, in this day and age, athletes play an important role in influencing the youth regardless of anyone's opinion of it. It is good to emulate or aspire to reach the level of success a professional athlete has achieved. However, at the end of the day, they should not be a primary role model. That should belong to a parent or guardian and that involves actually speaking with and being present for your children. Mike Armideo, in his article Do Professional Athletes Actually Make Good Role Models?, states “There is nothing wrong with young fans looking up to professional athletes, but those aspirations may be best left to what that player achieves on the field, court or ice. That’s how the next generation of great athletes is born. Just because someone has superior athletic ability doesn’t mean that they are a good person. Having awareness, empathy and performing selfless acts does.” (Armideo)

To conclude, I have demonstrated why both sides of the argument on athletes and morality have merit but, i have also shown the flaws in these arguments. That is why, I feel, it is important to meet in the middle on this issue and understand both sides. When this understanding is realized it will become apparent that athletes, while they are indeed role models, should not be a person's primary role model in life. This role should belong to a parent, grandparent, guardian, etc. and, most importantly, be a person that one knows in their personal life.It is my belief that, if this goal is met, we can grow as a society and perhaps understand the athletes we follow a little better as well.