The saga of performance enhancing drugs in baseball continues. The most recent example is Alex Rodriguez, for an interview and story links (click here). We have discussed in class the process of moral development and moral reasoning. We grow, mature, and develop or do not develop morally through our education and environment and we are highly affected by moral role models (Gwebu, Stoll, & Beller, 2007). Are professional athletes role-models? Should they be? What are your thoughts on professional athletes as role-models? Also, do you believe that professional athletes ability to reason on moral issues has decreased during their time in sports? Why? Hint: Think back to class discussion and notes.
I definately think that athletes are role models. Every kid wants to "be like Mike". Not only young children, but also teenagers and young adults look up to prominent athletes as well. We have seen how successful an athlete is and we strive to be like them. We strive to be the best. Should we look to athletes as role models is another story. If an athlete gets to where they are at by hard work and discipline, then of course they should be looked up to. But if they used steroids or cheated to get to where they are, then they should not be. Players like Tim Tebow are role models to many people for several reasons. He is not only great on the field but off of it as well. He shows people that helping others is what makes you the person you are. An athlete's ability to reason on moral issues all depends on the person. Some players work hard and take no shortcuts at any points in their careers and others do, so it is all subjective.
ReplyDeleteLike most of the scenarios we deal with in sport ethics there is no black and white answer. Many athletes are role models and do a great job reaching out in the community (though many do it for egotistical reasons - Tebow). I agree with the moral reasoning studies that show athletes scoring lower the longer they've played their sport and if the play a high revenue sport like baseball. A week ago A-Rod said he fell to the way the game was 6 years ago and wasn't really sure what he was doing, then in most recent interviews admitted he was aware he wasn't taking tic-tacs. And there is no way to prove if he is being completely honest or giving the public something to chew on to get the media off his back.
ReplyDeleteProfessional athletes are role models. It is something that is not exactly expected, but it is something that develops. I had my role models growing up, and I still have some of them and more athletes as my role models today. With professional athletes, I look up to them based on their work ethic, skill level, character, and successes. Also at the same time, I don’t expect them to be perfect. It’s hard to think of them as humans, but they are just like you regardless of how you see it. In recent news of Alex Rodriguez and Michael Phelps, they are both phenomenal athletes that children, teenagers, and adults have looked up to them as role models. Unfortunately, they have made some bad decisions. Alex Rodriguez blames steroid use on the culture while Michael Phelps apologizes for his mistake. The moral issues they face are hard to fathom for children. Although they have made the wrong decision, they are human beings. People are not perfect and make mistakes all the time. What makes people and professional athletes in particular great role models in my opinion is how they handle themselves after their mistakes and how they assess moral issues. I don’t think professional athletes ability to reason on moral issues decreases during their time in sports. With sports, the theories professional athletes used to solve moral issues depend on the context of the moral issues. The focus is not just on the moral issues and whether the action is right or wrong. The severity of the action depends on how it affects the game and the outcome.
ReplyDelete"I am not a role model" -Sir Charles Barkley. "I am not a roid model." A-Rod is not a model." I don't really know what I am doing with these plays on words. I just thought they were interesting. Back to the topic... I do not think athletes are role models. However, they do have to act within the rules of the game in which they play, and the laws in which they live. I believe if they follow these rules, their behavior should be modeled after. So we should not do what Pac Man or Vick does. I am starting to disagree with myself now. T O should not be a model for good behavior even though he does not break any laws. Being a crappy teammate should not be looked up to either. A Rod was not doing anything wrong during the time he was using steroids. There were no rules in baseball against it, and I imagine many players were doing the same. However, A Rod should just tell the whole truth now that his name has come up. He instead is avoiding answering questions and blaming his decisions on his "naivety, youth, or being dumb." I do believe an athlete’s ability to reason moral issues decreases during their time in sports. Within sports, it is perfectly reasonable to not act with complete morality because you are trying to win. It is gamesmanship. This is not how the world acts outside of sports. Therefore, athletes have a slightly different way of solving moral issues than non athletes.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that it is becoming more and more important that we are selective about who we choose as role models. It seems like we should try to emulate athletes on the field, but they are very few that we should look to off of it. We can choose to respect athletes for many reasons, some for their skill, others for their character. With some baseball players, including A Rod, they become professionals at a very young age and it seems that it can have a substantial impact on their way of thinking. Many seem to have a different perspective than most people, possibly because of the sense of entitlement that they develop from being catered to. When you are a superstar athlete everyone tells you how great you are and some people misunderstand what that means.
ReplyDeleteWhether they want to be or not, athletes are always going to be seen as role models. As we have talked about in class, sports has played a large roll in society and the people that play it are very public figures. In the age of the internet people want to know everything about their favorite athlete and with bloggers and other less formal reporters having more access to their lives anything they do wrong is going to be all over the internet. I think that its hard for athletes because they are just normal people and i think the public always expects them to be perfect because the public sees them as perfect. I also think that in regards to some things such as performance inhancers that their reasoning has decreased because the better you are they more you are going to make and the more people are going to respect and admire you.
ReplyDeleteProfessional athletes are role models, it's hard for them no to be. Little kids who watch sports grow up admiring certain athletes because of this or that. I know for me growing up I never liked an athlete just because he was good, but because of his character and the way he conducted himself. I do believe that athletes do lose their moral reasoning the longer they are in sports because I believe that and through class discussions, athletes are at times pampered and they have trouble delineating between whats good and bad.
ReplyDeleteProfessional athletes are definitely role models, whether they like it or not. It's part of what comes with living in the spotlight. It's hard to say whether they "should" be a role model any more than the next person, but they get so much exposure that it's hard to imagine they could avoid it. Whether an athlete's ability to reason morally has declined during their participation in sport depends completely on the athlete (it's a complete generalization to judge definitively one way or the other). A-Rod, for example, claims to be clean since 2003, so his moral reasoning ability has improved, allegedly. Other athletes, such as a Peyton Manning, do not seem to struggle with this at all. In the end, 1 athlete making a mistake is much bigger news than 10 athletes acting professionally, so it's tough judge on moral reasoning in sport as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe athletes are role models. They become athletes because of their physical talents and skills. They are forced into being "role models" because they are at the attention of the media and fans. Many athletes are great at their sport, but fail to socially connect with fans and followers. I find it troubling that we continue to pressure athletes into becoming role models. Just as we talked about in class, athletes don't know much of the life outside of sports. That being said, how does society expect them to be an example for our children? I do believe that being an athlete hinders one's personal judgement and ability to reason morally. All humans make mistakes, however it's unfortunate that athletes take more criticism for them. Athletes should try to maintain a good image, but we shouldn't fault them for their misbehavior unless it is serious.
ReplyDeleteI believe that whether or not athletes like it, they will always be considered role models to children around the world. I understand that it is not their job to be kids role models, but it comes with the territory. If you play a professional sport, children are going to look up to you. I also understand that when put into a postion where you have to be the best, athletes morals might start to go out the door. Yet they need to keep in mind that they have a life outside of sports, and doing something illegal like steriods, can greatly hinder their health and image. I believe that athletes need to do whatever they can to give themselves a good image because children really look up to pro athletes which can have a major impact on their lives.
ReplyDeleteathletes are definitely role models. kids see them on TV and they want to be like them. whether or not athletes should be role models totally depends on how they act. i think they are great role models, proving their hard work and managing to achieve a career that so many want, and when they produce good qualities of fair play and moral reasoning and decision making. but when a player cheats and show poor sportsmanship and poor moral reasoning then they should not. i generally think more athletes are good role models that those who are not. i believe that an athletes ability to show moral reasoning overtime does decrease when they play at a high level. there is far too much emphasis on winning and extrinsic rewards and prestige.
ReplyDeleteOf course athletes are role models. Especially superstar athletes such as A-Rod. I feel as though athletes should be role models whether they want to or not. Young kids growing up playing sports strive to be like the superstars they see on television. As a professional athlete you have a moral responsibility to display professionalism to all aspects of the game, this includes your fans. As an athlete progresses to the higher levels of competition, I do believe their moral reasoning does decrease. They are expected to win at all costs and these expectations may lead athletes to bend the rules. A-Rod is the perfect example. After signing such a large contract with the Texas Rangers, he was expected to perform at the highest level. He felt he needed help from particular substances to do so. His morals were clearly not in the right place, he put winning and personal success above his respect for the game of baseball.
ReplyDeleteProfessional athletes, whether they choose to be or not, are automatically role models. Their traits are some of the main things people look up to whether it is their success in their sport, their character, or their skills. Some of my role models include Venus and Serena Williams and Michael Jordan. Their success in sports made me strive to be great in the sport I excelled in most. As role models, we usually try to see the positive aspects of their professionalism. As a role model, it their responsibility to shed a positive image. However, I understand that they are people too and make mistakes, but when it comes to bending the rules like A-Rod using steroids, its not fair to those who admire these athletes. In the case of professional athletes reasoning moral, I think the longer they stay in sports they get better at reasoning in moral issues because they can learn from other incidents and base their decisions on the incidents alone.
ReplyDeleteProfessional athletes will always be looked up to and considered as role models. The problem with this is people make them like Gods and forget that they are humans, and just as any human they make mistakes and are not perfect. We look up to athletes for their amazing talents and their success in their careers. We should not expect that these people are never going to make a bad decision in their lives, but the problem is we expect them to be perfect. It is important that we are willing to forgive people for the mistakes they made when they face up to them and are honest. Athletes that cheat need to face consequences and people need to realize that the best of athletes are not always the best of people. However it is important to not put all athletes in one category. They are people and as people they are very different from one another. There are athletes out there who are honest, who work hard, and who are able to reason morally. There are studies that show athletes ability to reason morally decreases as they continue to participate in sport. I do not doubt that this is true for many and others may not decrease but at the same time do not increase this ability, while I believe there are some that can increase this ability. Athletes that can learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of others have the chance to increase their ability to reason morally and be the people that we as fans want them to be.
ReplyDeleteI think that athletes are def role models! I grew up wanting to be like Mia Hamm or Brandi Chastain and be a pro soccer player for the US. Pro athletes are the top athletes in their sport and most likely worked very hard to get to where they are now. But nowadays the news and papers are bombarded with negative headlines about athletes. More and more children are looking up to people who do not reason morally when making important decisions in their life. So yes I believe that the longer a person participates with sports their ability to reason morally is decreased because so many athletes lie, cheat, do drugs or bend the rules as far as they can in order to be the best, biggest, fastest, etc. They can also be overly obsessed with winning thus losing the underlining meaning of sport.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example is Charles Barkley in the early 90's Barkley came out with a commercial that said "I'm not a Role Model" which I agree with. Yes we grew up idolizing athletes because they were successful at their sport. Some athletes can be role models like Jackie Robinson because of his affect on society, same goes for Muhammad Ali. We admire the success of athletes because they play the sports we love and they make tons of money while doing it. I can understand Lebron Jame as a role model because he not only plays basketball but he also is a business man. We value the social values of sports stars which is great, but what we don't see from these athletes are their moral values. I idolized Shawn Kemp because he was a success in Seattle, but he had numerous children from different women, he was constantly being arrested from drugs. Just because I idolized him doesn't mean he is a role model
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt, professional athletes are role models and I don't think that's ever going to change. I myself have always looked up to athletes. So much of it has to do with the media and the way they are glorified and put on a pedestal. As I've grown older, I realize more and more that they should not all be viewed as role models. However, I do believe those who get to that level with hard work and truthfulness deserve to be looked up to. Also, if they contribute back to the community and are not narcissistic they can be viewed as role models. As much as I'd like to say that a professor should be a role model, it is highly unlikely that will occur. Kids need people to look up to and model so I believe that the honest athlete should serve as a role model. And I do believe that moral reasoning in an athlete decreases. Once the emphasis on winning and money becomes more prevalent, athletes will most likely do whatever it takes. That was certainly the case with me when it came to bending rules.
ReplyDeleteOf course athletes are role models, when athletes are held at such a high standard in America, when one does something bad its like the world has ended. As kids when you spent as much time as I did watching sports, its natural for you to grow a connection to the players that you watch all the time. Especially if you were a kid that had dreams to play a professional sports. Over time i do think that a players ability to reason morally decreases, and I think alot of that has to do with money. Money is a very powerful motivational tool in the sports world, and the more you get of it, the less you care about other things.
ReplyDeleteAlex Rodriquez is one of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game, to take anything away from what he did would be a crime. He may have used a form of steroids at a time when it was not tested and not against the rules of baseball For that I feel he did nothing different from most of the other baseball players during the time. Athletes do what they need to be one step ahead of everyone else to hit the extra homerun. If athletes weren’t trying to better themselves they might feel they are not trying. Everyone wants to better themselves and at the time, the way to take the next step was take performance enhancing drugs. I feel athletes should not be role models, but something to aspire to be when a child is growing up. To be a athlete is the easy way to make a lot of money for doing something not as great as a person working for Fred hutch cancer research. A person like that should be a role model of someone helping to make the world a better place. Sports athletes are only a form of entertainment. Athletes try to have good morals but sometimes make mistakes as most people do. Michael Phelps a prime example of someone regarded as a top athlete caught doing something in society that is frowned upon and he shouldn’t do, but on a personal level he might enjoy smoking.
ReplyDeleteProfessional athletes are role models whether they choose to be or not. By dedicating their lives towards the highest standard of athleticism in their respective sport, one would think that moral standard wouldn't be mutually exclusive. The media makes players appear either to be automatically virtuous, or "the devil", as we witness in A-Rod. Should they be? Theoretically not, considering that professional sport is merely a glorified job to the athletes. We could argue that everyone should be a role model, just because the media chooses to cover a professional baseball player over a teacher or janitor its hard to visualize. Given today's circumstances, since athletes cannot escape public coverage, it is the unspoken standard to be a role model to everyone. Its hard to argue that, in general, the ability to argue morally in atheletes has reached any sort of positive influence. there are always exceptions, but the athletes have dedicated most of the ethical burden upon the jurisdiction, therefore the motivation behind winning creates a free-flow of ideas towards bending the rules. A practical example, we see that A-Rod took advantage of the "cultural norm" in MLB; his statistical advantage took precedence over the credibility towards the game or his fans.
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe that athletes are role models whether they like it or not. A lot of athletes feel like they are not role models or shouldn’t be. I also agree that some athletes shouldn’t be role models, but because of their public persona they are forced into that position If they like it or not. Like I said before some athletes should not in fact be role models due to their actions, but a lot of athletes should be considered role models because they are great athletes and even better people. So many athletes give back with their wealth and their positive actions. It’s these athletes that should be and are considered role models. Again I think it depends on the athletes and their own morals on whether their ability to reason with moral issues has depleted over their time in sports. I think that if you are a good person and you stay strong within your own morals then your job shouldn’t affect your reasoning. A lot of studies have shown though that athletes have more and more trouble with reasoning morally the longer they participate in sports so maybe even the most moral of athletes could be affected in the slightest ways.
ReplyDeleteI think all of professional athletes are role modles for people who love sports. However, He had admits taking performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three year period beginning in 2001. Those years he had a bit more homeruns and runs batted in than the years before 2001. However, he had great stats in 2007 with over 50 homeruns and 150 runs batted in. He was saying that he used drugs because of an enormous amount of pressure. As we had seen through his interview, he regrets having done such a thing. Because of this scandal, he might have better results in the future of his playing time. I think we better overlook his fault this time, so he must be more careful in future. Even he has this kind of unacceptable problem; he is one of the best players in MLB. There are still lots of fans who are waiting for breaking B. Bond’s HR records.
ReplyDeleteI feel professional athletes are expected to be role-models. I don't believe all of them are worthy of that title, however, all of them are pushed into that role. They are put under a microscope, so any little thing they do wrong will be blown into a big deal. A huge amount of minor league baseball players used steroids, however we will never see them at a press conference or see their name dragged through the mud. I in no way feel bad for A-Roid, I just feel it is a bit unfair to make him the poster child for steroids.
ReplyDeleteI think that athletes are role models. Most of the athletes I see either from the media or from personal experience. There is a small portion that don't consider themselves, but athletes bring that flexibility and consideration to people of all ages. They should be role models because athletes create variety for society to look up to. Some athletes are giving to the community while other athletes just have that caring personality. Professional athletes don't have a commitment to be role models, but have that expectation to do something more aside from the athletic ability. I don't think an athlete's moral reasoning has decreaed. They still have the same reasoning before they become professional athletes. They create their reasoning from growing up, but most athletes do not consider themselves "high and mighty."
ReplyDeleteProfessional athletes whether they choose to be or not are considered role models for a lot of people, especially the youth. The media is very powerful and can portray anyone in any light. Pro athletes must accept that they are seen this way even if they did not ask for it. Some athletes are very good at handling the pressure of what the media can bring to their image. Others I feel are very immature and cannot handle the pressure of the public eye. Do I think it is fair that they have this pressure, in a way no, but in another way that is what it means to be famous in this country with our media. I also believe that an athletes moral reasoning does decline with more time spent in sport for the most part. With everything there are exceptions to the rule, some athletes do increase in moral reasoning and become great role models. Other athletes though have very little moral reasoning when they start as is that when their moral reasoning decreases, it isn't a very noticeable change. I think one of the main reason is the moral agents around the athlete. They do not know what is right or wrong because the people they associate with give them everything or just see them as a way towards a monetary goal, or a means and not a means to an end.
ReplyDeletePlayers have the power to be role models in any sport even though in some sports it might seem hypocritical to consider yourself a role model when you make a living pummeling the opposition (Boxing, MMA, even football to an extent). Nevertheless players can be great and still fly seamlessly under the radar of the media if they want to. Take Albert Pujols as an example, probably the greatest right handed hitter of our time, yet to most is not very well know. Playing for a small market, having a worksmanlike ethic, and staying out of trouble has allowed him to avoid the entourage of media that follows other "stars" like Jeter (hate to say it but the East Coast seems to think he is), and Manny Ramirez. The same goes for football, Marvin Harrison, very similar to Pujols in his character, compared to Ocho Cinco. I'm not saying that children looking up to players in the media more than others will end up desiring the attention that they get rather than focusing on the hardwork it would take to get there. All I'm saying is that whether we (or they) like it or not, atheletes are role models as long as they're profession continues to be desired by our youth.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately anyone who is in the spotlight these days for a prolonged period need to be aware that someone out there is seeing them as a role model. Athletes are role models not just because of the great things to do, but they are very imitatable. From their batting stances to there poses after touchdowns, you can see the influence these athletes have.
ReplyDeleteAthletes do have the ability to morally reason, but as a analyst you have to take a step back. What is the enviornment that these decisions are made in and what standards are set by the peers. In baseball, it was acceptable to not talk about it so there was no peer pressure against it and there was nothing technically against taking the enhancements. So it was acceptable for them to do so. However, they are role models and they need to be more aware of what is going on in society and the implications of their actions.