Athletes As Role Models, Part 1

A friend of my son has a 7 year-old boy who only wants to wear 2 shirts--both have pictures of suspended star, Adrian Peterson. That dad asked: "Should I let my son continue to wear these shirts?" The recent tawdry events in the NFL have left parents wondering how the shameful behavior of well-known athletes effects their children. I plan to focus on that issue over the next few blogs.

Parents first question is: Should we try to shield kids from athletes who are wife abusers or drug addicts or adulterers? During my childhood, kids were shielded. The sports media created “fakelore” (All-star pitcher, Jim Bouton’s  word) that hid most of the bad behavior of athletes. Babe Ruth was made up to be a saint who visited children in hospitals rather than the heavy drinker and gambler that he was.

But is this cover up necessary? The Bible doesn’t censor the sins of its heroes. Jacob was a schemer, Moses a murderer, Samson a fornicator, David an adulterer and a murderer. The Bible presents both the good and the bad because we learn from both.

The key to how children will be impacted by all of this corruption is whether the athlete’s bad behavior is punished. In one study, children observed an adult acting aggressively toward a large doll. Then some of the children observed the adult being rewarded while others saw the adult punished. The children were then given solitary time with the doll. Those who saw the adult rewarded for aggression treated the doll with much greater hostility.

The principle of modeling, then, implies that kids do not have to be shielded from the sins of their heroes. What they need is to see these athletes punished for their offenses. The most effective hurt for these professional athletes may be playing time. Anything that significantly shortens already short careers, will certainly be painful.

God makes it clear that sin has consequences: Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6: 7,8) Therefore, the exposure of an athlete’s mis-behavior and ensuing problems on and off the field, can be a “good” model for children—shouting the truth that a man reaps what he sows.