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Elite Athletes

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Should Elite Athletes Be Role Models For Children? The idea that when growing up as a child, we lose some illusion in order to obtain new ones tie in with the understanding that children’s minds are not matured enough to adequately understand the meaning of a true role model. Children do not understand that athletes are performers and are paid to be performers because that is their job. Professional athletes are not paid to be a role model hence, they are not obligated to live up to the expectations that exceeds beyond performing on the field. According to the National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, and Institution of Medicine (1997), a role model is “someone who takes a special interest in helping another person develop …show more content…

In order to truly understand the reasons, children must have the knowledge and the representation of knowledge about the subject. But ultimately, children must be able to show “the formal manipulation of symbols representing a collection of believed propositions to produce a representation of new ones” (Brachman, Levesque, & Pagnucco, 2004, p.4). This will allow children to effectively reason beyond the athlete’s athletic skills, abilities, and competencies on the playing field. As a of effective reasoning children will be able to define their role models as by morality, honor, citizenship, generativity, meritocratic personality traits, self-actualization, and interpersonal qualities (Guest & Cox, 2009). Connecting with my view that children cannot interact with athletes on a daily basis and form meaningful relationships creates a barrier preventing children from justifying why athletes should be role models. In order for children to agree that athletes can be role models, they would have to be around them on a daily basic and form a reputable relationship. And since athletes do not form reputable relationships with fans because it is not obligated as part of the athlete’s profession, it leaves athletes unqualified to be role models. So athletes are poor choices of role models for children because there are many favorable qualified individuals who can have more direct impact on the character of children and can interact and form meaningful relationships with the children. Therefore, elite athletes should focus on just being athletes, and children should just focus on being fans. This supports my teleological view of the greatest happiness and greater good for the greater

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