Athletes are the epitome of hard-work, dedication and resiliency. Their stories inspire audiences to follow their dreams and to reach for the stars. An athlete’s ability to put the ball through the hoop from 30 feet out consistently or break several tackles can appear out of this world to the average person. Because of this, athletes are often viewed as superhumans. In some cases, they are even looked upon as god-like figures.
This can sometimes lead fans to overlook their faults and mistakes, mostly off the court, as if they can do no wrong. Conversely, due to being labeled an athlete, athletes are subject to being viewed as one dimensional in their abilities, and that they are seen as “uneducated” or unworthy to speaking on political and current events, or other social issues.
Due to these preconceptions, athletes are caught in this range of either being seen as too god-like or only seen exclusively as entertainers. That is why it’s important to remember that athletes are human beings like everyone else, so we should treat them as such; they will do awesome things, they will inspire people, but they might also make mistakes and do questionable things.
One of the most famous examples of the over the top idolization of an athlete is Kobe Bryant. Known for his extreme work ethic, high-flying athleticism and clutch performances, the Black Mamba will always be remembered as one of the most iconic athletes ever. There’s a reason why fans yell “Kobe” when shooting trash into the garbage bin and paint murals of him in cities. Some fans have even named their sons after him. There’s nothing wrong with any of this, it’s a great way to spread basketball culture and keep the name of an all time great alive. Especially after the time of his death in 2020, it brought the whole community together and helped people realize the fragility of life and to never take things for granted.
Where I think it gets extreme is when many fans defend Bryant, as if he is a person that speaks perfection. Fans will defend Bryant as if he is a sacred figure, even going to the extremes of sending death threats to those that may seem like the slightest threat to him. Furthermore, they may even discount or call something disgraceful if anything comes as a threat to his legacy.
For example, when Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat scored 83 points on March 10 of this year, he surpassed Bryant for the second highest individual scoring game in NBA history, right behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game. The performance received much resentment, as the media and fans believed that Adebayo’s performance was disgraceful to Bryant, and he shouldn’t have passed 81 points in respect to Bryant’s 81 point game.
Other examples of the idolization include images online of Bryant with a halo on his head. A halo often represents holiness, divinity and even purity.
One event that will always be a stain in Bryant’s legacy will be his 2003 sexual assault case, in which a woman alleged that Bryant raped her in Colorado. Originally, Bryant denied any sexual encounter with the woman, but he later admitted to having consensual sex, therefore committing adultery, since he was married. The case was eventually dropped and a lawsuit was settled. Even if Bryant never committed felony assault, he lied and admittedly cheated.
Although maybe not to the extremes of Bryant, you can find something of controversy in almost every professional athlete.
Warriors guard Steph Curry was recently criticized earlier this year for his investment in Israeli tech startups “run by former IDF operatives who were integral to building Israel’s digital architecture of apartheid and genocide” according to journalist Nate Bear.
The media and fans should learn that they can appreciate the positive aspects of an athlete, but they also shouldn’t sweep their negatives under the rug.
Flipping to the other side, there’s many people that believe that athletes have nothing to offer outside of their sport.
In 2018, journalist Laura Ingraham on Fox News told LeBron James and Kevin Durant to “shut up and dribble,” following their negative remarks on President Donald Trump. Ingraham suggested that athletes who get paid millions of dollars shouldn’t be taken seriously when discussing politics.
James responded in an interview during all star weekend, saying, “We will definitely not shut up and dribble… I mean too much to society, too much to the youth, too much to so many kids who feel like they don’t have a way out.”
Not just for LeBron, but there are many athletes who make it a priority to use their voice and popularity to make comments on what they believe in politics and social issues.
We’ve seen athletes like Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell and Colin Kaepernick take major roles as political activists and challenge societal norms. So it is completely unfair to block athletes into the role of strictly entertainers and not people who can make an impact in society outside the game. There are definitely a vast amount of athletes who can have severe tunnel vision, but don’t force all athletes into the same mold.
The message is simple for how to view athletes: You can be inspired by an athlete’s work ethic, dedication and hard fought journey throughout their career. You can also acknowledge that they are very much capable of making a positive impact in the world outside of sports. But always remember we don’t know these people personally. We don’t know what they do or how they act off the camera. So don’t treat them like gods or Christ-like figures. It is also unfair to treat them as if they are commodities, who don’t deserve any sympathy or to have a voice on other things outside of sports. This can be said the same way for celebrities in general too, this is just in the scope of sports. Treat them as they are: human beings.
