Do athletes need to behave like role models? – 02/06/2023 – Marina Izidro

This week, I saw similar displays of affection from Brazilian athletes to their fans. I covered a friendly in London with some Premier League players, including Richarlison. The audience was Brazilian, and as soon as the match was over, the striker started signing autographs and taking pictures with a crowd that surrounded him.

This continued patiently for more than an hour. Days later, I saw tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia on TV doing the same thing after winning her match at Roland Garros. Richarlison and Bia are lovely people and admirable athletes, and gestures like these make you reflect on the place they occupy in the lives of those who support them. Does an athlete need to be an example? I think they should, but there are considerations.

As competitors, musicians and actors sometimes fit the same level of fame, I was reminded of personal experiences. Red Hot Chili Peppers is one of my favorite bands. I know the songs by heart, I’ve read the Anthony Kiedis biography three times. Until I went to a concert. What a disappointment.

There was zero interaction with the audience, and I left so frustrated that I never went to one of their shows again. Years later, I realized that the big mistake was blindly idolizing them. I think the band’s attitude is bad, but, in the end, they weren’t to blame for my upset. It was me, for expecting too much from someone I didn’t even know.

A few days ago, I passed the actor who plays Jamie Tartt in Ted Lasso on the street (fans of the series will understand the excitement). I went to talk to him, praised his work and asked for a photo. The actor, Phil Dunster, was so nice that he even asked what flavor my ice cream was to break the ice. I left liking him and Ted Lasso better.

I’ve had all sorts of experiences with the athletes I’ve interviewed. In order not to criticize the unfriendly, I will praise the nice. Usain Bolt and Rafael Nadal, for example, are fully aware of their greatness. They were always polite and professional, in victory or defeat.

Athletes do have responsibility as public figures because they influence children and young people. They symbolize values ​​such as honesty and determination, and we end up expecting more from them for that. At the same time, not everyone manages to be an example for society, and that’s okay. In addition, there are many reasons why it might not be pleasant on a given day – competition focus, defeat frustration, a difficult personal moment. They are human beings, and we need to understand.

On the other hand, there are those who defend that what matters is what is done in the sports field, even if the character is questionable outside it. Personally, I find it difficult to separate the two. Assaulting girlfriends or wives, engaging in racist, sexist or xenophobic behavior robs me of respect for that person, no matter how brilliant their career is.

Charles Barkley, one of the greats in basketball history, but with a troubled life off the court, including imprisonment for driving under the influence of alcohol, said in a famous commercial: “I am not paid to be an example, but to create chaos in court. Parents should be role models. Just because I bury a basketball, doesn’t mean I have to raise your kids.”

It was 1993, and that commercial would hardly run today. Barkley strikes me as part right, part wrong. Parents should be role models, but other people we look up to can be too. It’s less about perfection and more about intent. And I imagine that receiving so much affection, as offered by Bia and Richarlison, is something that is priceless.

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