Athletes As Role Models, Part 3

Where Have All the Heroes gone?

I was an NBA all-star year after year. The arena where I achieved that feat was my driveway! I imagined playing as a prized teammate of my beloved Boston Celtics. Even with Bill Russell and Bob Cousy on my team, I always made the last-second shot, the critical steal, or the amazing block that secured another championship for the world’s best basketball team.

My driveway fantasies are not unique. All children emulate others in their play. When children imitate a princess or a superhero or an NBA star, they are “putting on” the clothing of adult life.

We are designed for imitation. The Bible is filled with exhortations to imitate God: Be holy as I am holy. The Apostle Paul asked his disciples to imitate him. Because imitation is one of the pathways to maturity, children need role models who are worth emulating. Sadly, today’s sportsworld heroes often fall short because “our generation has lowered the standards and amped up the volume.”

But there are genuine heroes in the sportsworld. Recently retired Juan Pierre was a lifetime .300 hitter before he signed with the L.A. Dodgers. His first year as a Dodger, he played in all 162 games, as he had done the previous four years. But the next year Pierre was benched. He didn’t handle the demotion well. One of the sportswriters described him as “sullen”, “almost sad.”

The following year Pierre returned to the Dodgers with a new attitude. Though newly signed free agents decreased his likelihood of playing regularly, he was determined to return a new man: "I wasn't happy with myself last year. I have always read the Bible, but I was reading it again during the off-season.... I just figured out God's plan is way better than mine. I thought I could do it on my own, but I was miserable. I can only control things that I can control." Players and media noticed the difference. One sports writer observed that “in such a refreshing way, nothing seems to unsettle him.” His peace was based on the belief that God is in control. Our athletic kids will face adversity in their sports: riding the bench, injuries, unjust umpiring, incompetent coaches. Athletes like Pierre can model how to handle these uncontrollable and unwelcome events. But parents will have to dig these stories up because this is not the normal focus of the media.