There's a lot of argument over kids using sports celebrities as role models. I wonder if they are confusing role model with hero. See, I always thought that a role model was someone who you actively emulate, someone who is a part of your life, while a hero is someone you admire, someone who has achieved a greatness you can only dream of. Not that I have any answers.
A friend of mine got angry when I said that I admired Mark McGwire. She brought up his use of steroids and his influence on kids. "What kind of role model is he!" she demanded.
Beats me. He's a man, not a demi-god, full of faults no worse than our own.
I remember being a kid, having my own favorite players, collecting their baseball cards, racing to the tv set to watch them play. I didn't care about their personal lives. I didn't care to grow up to be like them. I just loved watching them play and wanted them to be the best.
Are kids today that much different? Are they concerned with Jordan's gambling or McGwire's use of a steriod? Or do they just care about what these guys do on the court or field? Is sports television searching too hard for stories that make parents uneasy about their kids' sports heroes?
Parents, of course, can't absent themselves. My son and I have regular discussions about his favorite players, who he admires most, and why. In our house, we don't like cheaters or athletes who throw temper tantrums.
My son has never mentioned McGwire's use of andro; he instead gushes over McGwire's friendship with Sammy Sosa and the skyrocketing home runs. He dreams of catching a McGwire homerun someday.
That's what heroes are for.
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