SPORTS - Should Pro Athletes be Role Models?

"Should pro athletes be considered role models?  Students weigh in." PBS NewsHour 9/20/2014

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  By a two-to-one margin, Americans disapprove of the way the NFL has handled domestic violence incidents involving its players, this according to a poll conducted by ABC News and Marist college.

Earlier this week the NewsHour’s Student Reporting Labs team asked high school students for their reactions to the Ray Rice incident and others like it, they also asked if professional athletes should be considered role models.

VICTORIA DAVILA:  When I saw that video of Ray Rice, I actually, somebody sent me the video and I watched it and I think the right word was like appalled.

MAXWELL PIUS:  My reaction when I saw Ray Rice lay his hands on his fiancée it was shocking.

THOMAS WILKERSON:   Being an athlete, we look up to these guys and unfortunately the role they play it puts a huge target on them to be good role models.

You know not only on and off the field, kind of makes you wonder you know are these guys that are being put in the spotlight worth being looking up to.

KAYCEE ARASE:  No matter who you are, I think any type of violence, anything that a regular person should do, you should also get punished no matter if you’re the president of the United States, if you’re a quarterback for the NFL, if you’re a kid like us, there are consequences to whatever you do.

MARIYAH ESPINOZA:  Unfortunately society gives the impression that athletes do need to be role models, however, this does become tricky for athletes because they need to learn how to balance their personal life from their sports life.

RAMY AHMED:  Professional athletes definitely have an obligation to act as role models if you are playing on every Sunday on national television and people watch you then they begin to look up to you.

And whether you like it, or not you have to act like a role model.

DONETHE CYPRIEN:  At the end of the day they’re not the ones who interact with your children.  It’s you, it’s teachers, it’s everyone else so sort of putting the blame on the public figures, maybe people should look at themselves first.