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Are Professional Athletes Good Role Models

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Are Professional Athletes Good Role Models? Professional athletes are some of the most popular individuals today and are followed by millions of teens all across America. Athletes have been regarded to as role models throughout history. Today, there is a controversy whether they still are because of their poor decision making and influence on teens. According to Frank Smoll, the term role model is defined as “a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially younger people.” Professional athletes are good role models to teens because they teach teens to overcome obstacles and show them that they can be successful as well. Athletes can be positive role models because their examples can encourage others who face major challenges in their lives. Since they made it to the big stage, athletes have had a great amount of experience with overcoming adversity and persevering. So by now, when athletes are faced with a difficult task, they handle it with courage and grace (Lafontaine 30). Athletes also have the possibility for encouraging or discouraging responsible behavior. Whatever actions the athletes take part …show more content…

Athletes teach teens how to overcome obstacles and persevere against anything. Not many people have gone through as much adversity as athletes, which shows that each one of them has a great attitude and mentality to overcome anything. This once again proves that athletes have the power to teach teens that they can achieve anything that they desire, because athletes themselves would not be as successful as they are if they just quit and gave up. Since athletes have so much power, they can influence millions of teens at once. Professional athletes are some of the greatest role models in America. If professional athletes aren’t great role models for teens, then who knows what

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