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Heroes or zeroes Mark McGwire is the homerun kings of baseball. He is a national celebrity, with literally millions of fans. He has a large number of kid fans that dream of aspiring to be exactly like him. McGwire knows this fact; it is impossible to ignore it. Yet, he does things that he should not knowing how many admiring eyes are on him. Mark McGwire recently admitted to taking steroids as a dietary supplement, McGwire is just one of the celebrities that has inappropriate habits. Michael Jordan is seldom seen on a golf course without a cigar, Dennis Rodman has been heard using bleeped words, and many other sport stars have behaved in such ways. Why do these sport stars, who have a perfectly good idea to what extent kids will follow their actions, behave in such ways? Everyone, particularly children, worship sports stars in the U.S. Entertainment has great value in the U.S.; salaries of sport stars are a perfect example of that. Games are broadcast live on national television, and are watched by millions, including a large amount of kids. Scenes with players smoking, or swearing sets a wrong example for them to follow. Inappropriate behavior is just the most visible of the wrong examples many sport stars set. All the sport stars are now haggling over prices for contracts, perquisites, etc. In a Hershey advertisement, they show a baseball camp and a coach urging the kids to have fun, but the children instead ask for contracts, and deals, to play. These scenes will become increasingly common in the future if the example of today's sport stars is followed. The media has built all the superstars of today, and the superstars of tomorrow will be nowhere without them, but the media must understand its role in portraying sports stars for their talent and only their talent. When the victorious Bulls celebrated their sixth NBA championship, every body on the team was seen drenched in champagne, and smoking cigars. Surely, such scenes can be shown less on television. Instead, there were replays shown of the event repeatedly, for days. Sport stars know how important they are to some people, especially kids. Keeping those kids’ health – physical and mental - in mind, they should try to keep some of their vices in private. Date Posted : September 06, 1998. What do
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