Written by James Washington

Professional athletes never get a break.

It seems that media coverage in today’s society focuses on the negative more than the positive. Every time I turn around, an athlete is being arrested on some sort of charge stemming from disturbing the peace, drugs or in some instances—murder.

As with any basketball fan of my generation, I grew up idolizing Michael Jordan. “His Airness” is the epitome of success in the sport, and I spent most of my free time on the court trying to perfect his best moves.

It wasn’t until I began to further research the sport that I learned that MJ was viewed as an excessive gambler and could be a very harsh, critical and sometimes unfair teammate.

Who cares? I’m not watching Jordan to live his life. I’m watching him because I value what he has brought to the game.

When I turn on the television, I see news revolving around prominent figures in our society all the time. An ex-LAPD officer just recently committed a string of disgraceful murders. It feels like scandals are uncovered daily involving our nation’s elected officials and clergy members. Should children stop dreaming of being police officers or President of the United States because one made a mistake?

I am left confused as to why professional athletes should be looked down upon for their mistakes away from the sport. NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley may have said it better than anyone else could. Especially known for his blunt personality, Barkley stated in 1993, “if I weren’t earning $3 million a year to dunk a basketball, most people on the street would run in the other direction if they saw me coming.”

It makes perfect sense. It’s their careers that give them popularity, but it’s the media and the rest of society that expects athletes to be perfect. Athletes are placed on a high pedestal until they make a mistake.

I understand that athletes spend a great deal of time in the spotlight, but so do doctors, soldiers, teachers and actors. At the end of the day, I respect athletes and any public figure for their contributions to their respective professions.  If you take away their fame and fortune, however, you are left with a human being, just like you and me. I will never look at an athlete as a role model. I have parents that fill that position perfectly.