Charlie Plummer College English Short Argumentative February 19, 2017 Down Side of Athletics As a child it is common to hear “people can be anything they want to be if they work hard.” This is right but what some parents don’t remind their children is there are going to be hard bumps along the way. When becoming a recognized athlete, individuals have to stay humble and respectful of the sport. Society is right about, the difficulties about the challenges athletes have, however they might not be aware, that athletes have been put on some sort of pedestal making them feel they need to be perfect and on top all the time. Being an athlete is hard, but keeping up the expectations that is required is even more troubling. Athletes are required to achieve outrageous standards, some that Americans don’t even realize are impossible, as well as always being in the public's eye, and dealing with injuries to play a sport they fell in love with. Athletes are put on a pedestal; they are promoted as being better than others. Americans would like to say that all athletes have the mindset that they are better than everyone else, however, this is not the case. Not every athlete has the mindset of being better than others, but if they did, could that mindset controversy be good or bad thing in some ways? Athletes feel the need to be the best they can be all the time. Athletes work extremely hard to achieve the bogus standards viewers and fans think they should acquire. In other words, Americans believe athletes are goddess’ and forget their human and don’t remember they make mistakes just like all Americans. Most athletes will say that, they don’t think they are better than other individuals because of being an athlete and some mean it, however a few don’t and that affects the outlook on athletes. However, it’s not fair to assume that all athletes think the world owes them something. William Moller in the article, We, the Public, Place the Best Athletes on Pedestals states, “I did what I felt I needed to do, to accomplish what was demanded of me” (547). This shows the stress athletes are under to be greater than the “average” person and why people make them out to be better than normal Americans. Some athletes can be a role model to viewers and are someone for people to look up to. For example, Leigh Steinberg in the article, Athletes Are in a Unique Position to Influence Society states, “Athletes can and should serve as role models to society. Sports stars are in a unique position to use their wealth and influence to support disaffected communities and to offer a positive example to young fans who lack strong parental guidance” (Steinberg Par. 2). There is an element of athletes perceiving that they are better than others but it’s not solely the athletes; viewers also put the athletes on a higher pedestal than non athletes. However this isn’t the only problem athletes have to face. Athletes also have to deal with constantly being in the spotlight. Much like movies, stars, or singers their lives are always being watched and criticized at all times some say with fame comes responsibility; which basically boils down to athletes having to be perfect at all times and do everything right. Researcher Thomas Schaik in the article, Social Media Can Be Dangerous for Athletes state's, “Professional athletes can use social media to connect with fans and share their personal lives in ways they never could before” (Schaik Par. 2) By focusing on athletes, viewers overlook the deeper problem of expecting there to be no flaws in a human's life. Americans use athletes lives as a source of entertainment and watch every move they make and citric every move they make. Joe Posnanski in the article, Cheating and Cheating states, “No, it was the willful self-deception. Surely, Pete Hamill knows that baseball was never innocent, that America was never innocent, that innocence itself was never innocent” (556). This quote using baseball, points out the downfall of American people and the idea of innocent athletes, meaning what they do is always going to be right. Many people assume that every athlete is perfect at all times. Imagine a life where the individual has no privacy everything is being watched at all times. Imagine always having to live up to an impeccable standard. Then punished in the media if not living to the standards. This is the life of an athlete. Although this is not the only thing needed to face. Athletes have to face many obstacles but one of the more fetal ones is injuries. Viewers get so into watching the game and forget and how dangerous and harmful the sport can be on a human body; viewers like to say it’s easy but don’t understand the damage it could do. All athletes run the risk of getting hurt and losing their career. This is very frightening for athletes, this is some athletes livelihood and without it they can’t pay their bills. In the article, In Defense of Cheering by Jennie Yabroff states, “One member has a broken rib. The other, a possible concussion from a nasty fall. A third wraps a compression bandage around a sprained ankle” (524). This shows the only minor risks of playing a sport. Viewers advocate that sports are easy, well this is because they are watching the sport, not playing it. It’s often said that being apart of the game is a totally different ballgame than just watching a game. When an individual is playing they feel what it feels like to have their fear increased, algeneraline increased, and heart rate increased. The feeling and emotion is different from watching because instead of someone else getting knocked out, hit, laid out, and or passed out, it’s the individual's own life. With doing that plays a whole new roll of appreciation and fear. Researcher Jed Hughes in article, “Professional Sports Organizations Have a Responsibility to Safeguard the Health of Players” states, “There is no shortage of notable athletes who were forced into early retirement due to recurrent concussions. Many of them face long-term physical difficulties and shorter life expectancies” (Hughes Par 1). This one quote shows the injuries athletes can face in their everyday routine. This shows only a small portion of the an “athlete's” life. With showing the pedestal athletes are put on, being in the public eye, and injuries athletes have to deal with hopefully shows the so called easy life athletes live is far from it. There is many difficulties that comes with being an athlete. Acknowledging some of the obstacles athletes face puts a new perspective on the viewer's opinion. Society does not realize how easy it is to look from the outside and see only the good and not the bad. There is more to an athlete's life than acknowledged by non-athletes.
Hughes, Jed. “Professional Sports Organizations Have a Responsibility to Safeguard the Health of Players.” NewJerseyNewsroom.com, edited by Margaret Haerens and Lynn M. Zott, May 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010879212/OVIC?u=chil38234&xid=e96017d4. Accessed 2017. Moller, William. “We, the Public, Place the Best Athletes on Pedestals.” They Say I Say With Readings, W.W. Norton & Company , New York , NY, 2012, pp. 545–552. Posnanski, Joe. “Cheating and CHEATING.” They Say I Say With Readings, W.W. Norton & Company , New York , NY, 2012, pp. 553–559. Schaik, Thomas van. “Social Media Can Be Dangerous for Professional Athletes.” Www.sportsnetworker.com, edited by Margaret Haerens and Lynn M. Zott, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010879222/OVIC?u=chil38234&xid=0a74ce1a. Accessed 2017. Steinberg, Leigh. “Athletes Are in a Unique Position to Influence Society.” Huffington Post, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010350228/OVIC?u=chil38234&xid=8e5bc577. Accessed 2017. Yabroff, Jennie. “In Defense of Cheering .” They Say I Say With Readings, W.W. Norton & Company , New York , NY, 2012, pp. 524–528.