Shining Sports Star in my eyes...

In my opinion, it is important for children to have role models. I do not agree with the fact that it necessarily needs to be a professional athlete; it can be anybody, famous or not, who has the right attitude towards life. For children, it is very important to realize that their closest role models should be their parents, teachers, and, if they participate in a certain sport, their coaches. As I see it, fame does not make a great role model, but the correct approach on how to tackle different problems in life. Athletes of course can help children to have somebody to look up to and admire. Nevertheless, they should not forget that athletes are just people like them who also make mistakes. Media puts a lot of pressure on all of us; athletes, parents and their children. In many people's eyes, athletes should represent the best of themselves, only positive aspects, and by god please don't be human and show that you are able to fail as well. Advertising and commercials make this even worse. They idolize athletes who - for me - are just regular people as you and I.
Once I have kids, I would like to teach them the difference of athletes being great in their sports and athletes being great in their private life. I want them to understand that these professionals became famous for what they achieved in their career and not what they have done outside of that. As I mentioned before, everyone makes mistakes and even the greatest role model, athlete or not, is not perfect. As William Rhoden says "Perhaps we can agree, moving forward, that our sports heroes do good things but do not have to be good people."