Does the lifestyle of professional athletes build up false perceptions of grandeur in our youths
Keshiar Clarke
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University
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Date
Does the lifestyle of professional athletes build up false perceptions of grandeur in our youths?
Introduction
Professional athletes, just like Hollywood superstars are most adored by their fans worldwide. Other than an attractive physique that has resulted from continual physical training and exercising, professional athletes are among the highest paid career people. Consequently, most professional athletes lead exuberant lifestyles and thus catch the enthusiasm of the youth and influence some to wannabes status. Studies show that the youth admire various athlete personalities and strive to be like them or support these athletes in all their moves. However, as much as the professional athletes impact the behaviors of the youth in relevance to admiration of their lifestyles, not all have a positive influence to the youth, and some dwell in illusion as opposed to realism.
The lifestyles of professional athletes build up false perceptions of grandeur in the youth and often, the youth are misled to imitate or adore faddish lifestyles. First, the youth look up to the professional athletes for their grace, ability, and power, in the courts or on the field, yet these are aspects built by a wide pool of other professions. Second, the youth herald sports personalities who lead flamboyant lifestyles, expose expensive material assets, and socialize with high-profile friends, yet these result from media exposure and marketing gimmicks of corporate to have their products and services sold. Third, the youth tend to embrace some of the negative or unaccepted social behavior of some athletes which the youth believe that it will put them in the same limelight as their favorite sports personalities, yet in reality; this destroys the career life and health of an individual.
Sports personalities’ physique and ability
The youth look up to the professional athletes for their grace, ability, and power, in the courts or on the field, yet these are aspects built by a wide pool of other professions (Mohler, p. 181). Traditionally, sports has been associated with aspect of remaining physically fit and be able to compete and win in games (Mitchell, p. 5). However, currently, sports personalities are continually rated for looks, moves, and flashy lifestyles especially by the young people. The career of sports is most visible in the active players as compared to other aspects of the career for instance sports news reporter, beauticians, sports cloth-designers and weight trainers among others. The youth flood the spectator scenes to watch their favorite player in actions. The youth are always attracted by the physique, looks, agility, and tactics of the players as they play in the field or courts. Moreover, during public interactions it is common for the youth to ask the sports personalities to sign autobiography for them as a show of association to the famous players. The players in this case seem to stand out like they have managed everything on their own, from developing good physiques, and learning the state-of-the-art skills for which they are exalted by the fans. However, Mohler (p. 181) argues that the sports personalities are unsuccessful without the involvement of other agencies. No sports person can make it to stardom on their own although they are the ones who receive all the glory from the youth fans. Professional sports personalities require the involvement of physicians and other health care takers to ensure that the players keep in good condition in terms of health. Coaches train the athletes to know how the game is played. Additionally, the players require the services of weight trainers, beauticians, cloth designers, field levelers, sponsors, and sports writers or journalists who make the athletes famous through news. Lirgg, Dibrezzo and Smith (p. 1) applaud the role of the coach in influencing the perspirations, efficacy and aspirations of young players as they seek to become professionals in sports. The youth therefore need to know that without the services of these background personalities, their athletes may not be dwelling in the shiny amour as no impressive sport would take place (Mohler, 182).
On a negative note, some professional athletes have been in the news for using steroids in order to enhance performance (Ford, p. 368). This is an indication that not all professional athletes deserve the glory that is put upon them because their performance is enhanced by substances.
On the positive side, professional athletes motivate the young people to join and undertake careers in sports (Caglar &Asci, p. 231). Whether from a real or false perception, influencing the young people to join sports is a good course. Caglar &Asci, (p. 231) conducted a cluster analysis study whose purpose was to identify the motivational profiles of adolescent athletes in the non-Western culture. The study further aimed at examining the relationship between motivational profiles and physical self-perception differences of the adolescent athletes. The study involved students from both the female and male gender as well as from a variety of the sports including cocker, basketball, volleyball, and handball to whom the Sport Motivation Scale and the Physical Self-Perception Profile were administered. Through cluster analysis, the respondents were grouped into four clusters as amotivated, low motivated, moderate motivated and highly motivated (Caglar &Asci, p. 234). The findings revealed that highly motivated young athletes scored higher consistently and remained competitive as compared to amotivated athletes. Motivation is an aspect that results from encouragement by looking at sports personalities that are doing well in the sports mainstream, or also from coaches who inspire the young ones to succeed in their chosen career paths.
Flamboyant lifestyles and high-profile peers
The youth herald sports personalities who lead flamboyant lifestyles, expose expensive material assets, and socialize with high-profile friends, yet these result from media exposure and marketing gimmicks of corporate to have their products and services sold (Greisemer, p.1). According to Greisemer (2) perceptions about peer relationships, self-image, and success are easily manipulated in the youth of young ages-middle school, high school, and freshmen, and sophomore levels. Nonetheless, this group is targeted for marketing gimmicks because of their easily influenced nature. Research shows that major corporate efforts such as marketing campaigns and media exposure target the young people through endorsing the most adored professional athletes. Young people see flashy banners of affluent lifestyles of their sports celebrities, or watch them on television or internet as they endorse certain lifestyles through advertisements. Considering that the youth admire these sports celebrities and aspire to be like them, they indulge in a culture of purchasing that may persist to adulthood. The youth purchase food items, analgesics, clothing, cars, and dietary supplements that are endorsed by their favorite celebrities (Greisemer, p. 2). This shows that the professional athletes are role models to the youth; but are they showing life’s reality to these youngsters? The youth need to know that the sports celebrities do not necessarily fit in the products and services that they endorse. This is just a psychology marketing tactic that involves the corporate spending millions of dollars in marketing just to link up their products to an outstanding professional athlete, and expose this aspect through media. Consequently, the youth end up indulging in products and services that in reality, these professional athletes could not be using. Parents especially experience high pressure and demands from their children as they request for splendid cash or credit cards in order to purchase the sports celebrity look-alike look.
Pugh, et al., (p. 773) conducted a study that focused on elite youth and whose purpose was to find out why the youth play baseball, what the youth consider as source of stress, what the youth consider as attributes to being a good player of baseball, and the kind of changes that the youth recommend to improve the baseball experience. The participants were 11 year old males of a baseball team that had for an international all-star tournament. Structured interviews and videotapes were used to collect data. Expectedly, the young people stated that the major motivations for participating in the game were fun, socializing with peers and starts from other schools and the nation, and also for the purpose of challenging their abilities. However, on factors that cause stress, the young athletes reported on criticisms put through verbal instructions such as being yelled at by coaches, teammates, fans or teachers. Positively, the findings show that a good player should show leadership, motivation, and have a love for the game. Recommendations were suggested for the practice procedures which should always aim to produce the best individual all-round (Pugh et. al., 776).
Professional athletes and social/moral behavior
Third, the youth tend to embrace some of the negative or unaccepted social behavior of some athletes which the youth believe that it will put them in the same limelight as their favorite sports personalities (Ford, p.367), yet in reality; this destroys the career life and health of an individual (Greisemer, p.1; Molitorisz; Upadhyay & Singh, p. 68). Ford (pp. 367-378) conducted a study whose findings revealed that college athletes show higher rates of drug and substance use as opposed to students not involved in athletics. Furthermore, the level and number of incidences of substance use varied with the kind of sport. In accordance to Jason (p. 367) study, female soccer and male hockey players recorded higher numbers of substance abuse as compared male basketball and cross-country, and track athletes. Moreover, the team leaders are shown to have higher levels of binge drinking as compared to other team members. However, the study does not reveal why certain sports are associated with higher indulgence in alcoholism and drug use, but recommends this area for further studies.
Farmer (p.8) shows also shows that the media plays a major role in highlighting the prowess of the coaches or behavior of players in the filed. Considering that most sports writers are interested in creating catchy stories, most of the stories that are not part of the main game in the field may focus on negative or faulty aspects of the players (Farmer, p. 8). On the positive side, players who know that they are under media scrutiny can avoid exposing behavior that will embarrass them to the public. However, athletes are real and sometimes behave in their human nature oblivious of the camera and this may lead to exposure of negative behavior but of which can be adapted by the youth.
For ages, the media is always filled with stories of sports personality behaving in a manner not considered as socially acceptable (Upadhyay & Singh, p. 68). Usually, this is to do with matters of drugs and promiscuous relationships. The fact that this trend is continuous shows that the younger athletes inherit from the mainstream athletes and also pass it to the next generation. Molitorisz reports on the role of sports personalities as role models yet with bad influence for the followers. In the Sydney Morning Herald Molitorisz reports on a sex scandal l involving a 30 year old player Matthew Jones and part of his team mates. Jones, who is married, had sex with a 19 year old waitress and this involved five other teammates as well while the other six watched the incident. Although the player was not charged with sexual abuse, the incident was devastating to his wife who fought hard to stand by her husband despite the betrayal. As if this is not enough, Jones brother a rugby player, confessed to drug addiction and that he suffered from bipolar disorder, a condition associated with depression (Molitorisz). Molitorisz pictures the perils of the situation from a parental point of view by wondering about the kind of feeling that the father of the two brothers experiences when he reads about the incidents of his sons. Some of the reasons that Molitorisz quote from a sports celebrity trying to justify the scandalous lifestyles of athletes include, the thought of the incidences being fun, or it is a trend that everyone involves in, or the thought that no one will know, or pressure from the other peers. However, Molitorisz suggests that the best way to respect self is to believe and stand for actions that they have always considered as morally right. Some celebrities involve in behaviors that may not be legally wrong but are morally wrong. Athletes should be aware of their role and influence on youth and thus use the opportunity to perpetuate positive behaviors as opposed to the negative behaviors. On the other hand, the youth should be aware that other than the lucrative careers, the professional athletes are just normal human beings with capabilities to indulge in faults that are not recommendable. Some sports personalities indulge in drugs and substances as a result of personal problems such as issues of self esteem, or depression. This is despite the fact that the sports personalities appear to have a lot of money and are thus justified to have a happy life. For some, scandalous behavior could simply be as a result of poor upbringing where the parents were not there for them, to guide them and show them the right way to lead a morally upright life. The youths have the right to adore their favorite athletes but this should be done with caution, that is, they can pick positive aspects such as career motivation and charity lending, and discard the bad behaviors such as drug use and promiscuity. Ford (p. 368) explains that athlete students are likely to involve in social and moral unacceptable behavior because of being put aside a special group of the student population. The dual role of athlete and student results to unique experiences that place these students at a greater risk for substance abuse. The need to maintain a high level of performance as an athlete, and responding to stress as well as balancing athletic and academic interests are concerns for young athletes that lead to substance use as a way of gaining comfort. Moreover, these youth experience other uncertainties such as career concerns, fear of termination because of poor performance, social isolation and injuries which can be both physical and psychological. The youth are in danger of contracting diseases from sexual promiscuity and drug use and thus may end up leading a more difficult life as compared to when morally acceptable behaviors are enhanced.
According to Lirgg, Dibrezzo and Smith (p. 2) training and a lifestyle in sports should assist the youth to maintain a physically active lifestyle, be good citizens who respect the authority, be aggressive in competitions, attain a high status career that will enable them move into well-paying jobs, attain self-esteem and develop self confidence, and grant the youth a social status that helps them become popular among their peers.
Conclusion
Professional athletes have a major influence in the lives of the youth. Many youth admire sports personalities and aspire to be like them. The youth go to extent lengths to join the sport that their favorite star plays. The youth engage in and indulging lifestyles in which their looks, clothes, phones, cars, and food among other stuff must be those that have been endorsed by favorite sports personalities. Unfortunately, the youth also engage in socially unacceptable behavior depending on the extent of influence from role models who are professional athletes. The lifestyles of professional athletes build up false perceptions of grandeur in the youth and often, the youth are misled to imitate or adore faddish lifestyles. Professional athletes participate in certain activities for commercial purposes rather than expressing the reality of their lifestyles. However, the youth are widely influenced to follow in the ways of the athletes and this can be attributed to their young age and therefore limited ability to differentiate illusion and realism.
Works Cited
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Farmer, Sam. TV keeps eye out for drama; Cameras stay on the lookout for colorful coach, player behavior. Chicago Tribune, 2010: 8
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