Can Athletes Be Heroes?

[King Douche]

Can athletes be heroes? I mean they are looked up to by alot of people, including children. But they do get into alot of legal problems most of them, and do stupid and bad stuff. So can sprots players be looked up to as an idol or hero to many people who watch and cheer for them?

 

[FromTheSouth]

Of course athletes can be heroes. Most superheroes in comics are flawed. The people that kids are supposed to look up to get blowjobs in the oval office or use tax money to fly to Argentina for sex or even worse sometimes. Everyone is flawed.

Athletes are the perfect group of people to show kids that talent and morals do not always coincide. They can also be used to show kids how hard work and focus can channel ability into results.

A little hero worship is never a bad thing. It gives kids something to shoot for.

 

[CH David]

As FTS said, of course professional athletes, and maybe to some, even college athletes can be heroes. Anyone can be a hero to children if you think about it. Even through legal trouble or discretionary issues that should be kept private, such as the Tiger Woods thing. My friends are golfers and are huge fans of Tiger, even through his debacle, they are still some of his biggest fans.

Personally growing up, I loved Frank Thomas. He was amazing with the bat, and was passable at first, just don't let him throw. I wouldn't hear about any bad things coming from Frank. The MLB didn't market him as the face of the sport, so he probably wouldn't be a hero or looked up to by many people other than Sox fans.

Or I'm sure some young kids that love College Football have Tim Tebow, or some old Vince Young or Reggie Bush posters on their walls when they were in college. Athletes are looked at as role models for how kids should act. Because of the publicity, some of their indiscretions, even if they are minor, get blasted in the public. But for the most part, athletes can be heroes, hell I still have a few that I look at as heroes, and I'm 19.

 

[X]

I'm afraid there's quite a big difference between being a hero to a child, and being an actual hero. I mean Stone Cold was my hero as a kid, but I don't think any one of us could rightfully call Steve Williams a hero. To be a hero you'd have to actually do something heroic, and I'm afraid playing a game (which is all an athlete is doing guys) is not heroic. I mean, maybe you could make an argument for someone like Jackie Robinson who actually in a way put his own life in danger by being the first black man in the MLB as being a hero, but if you're going to try and convince me Kobe Bryant or Tiger Woods are heroes, I'm afraid I'll laugh in your face.

I love sports just as much as all of you guys, but come on, let's be honest. It's a game. No one's lives are at stake here. The only time I'd ever consider an athlete to be a hero would be if he (or she) actually did something heroic. I'm afraid scoring forty points in hoopyball doesn't fall under that category for me.

 

[King Douche]

I agree with Eko that no athletes can be heroes cause they do great things in the sport their in. They have to do something actual heroes would do. Jackie Robinson is one of few athletes that can be a sports hero cause he risked his life so all races could play baseball rpofessinally and in sports generally. Pat Tillman also has to be a sportsh ero cause he fought for the US and put his life on the line.