Sports

Sports

Everyone loves sports stars. They look great, they appear on television and like rock stars, they perform with the entire world watching. No wonder young adults make heroes out of their favorites. Great athletes teach us more than how to swing a bat or dunk a basketball. In the face of seemingly impossible challenges they teach us that success -- whether on the basketball court or in the classroom -- takes dedication, confidence, and a hefty dose of hard work. Unfortunately, Rick Telander's article, "The Wrong People for the job (athlete's as role models)," is a hasty generalization. I believe his article provides the wrong message among young adults, male or female, throughout the world, and discourages the reader from idolizing any particular sport hero. Telander's article includes hasty generalizations, claims, logical fallacies, and even invalid arguments. He doesn't feel athletes, as role models are the right people for the job.

Rick Telander begins his article with a hasty generalization that says: "We feel that because a person can run fast, hit hard, jump high, dunk a ball or knock one into the parking lot, that person is someone to be admired and emulated and even listened to, despite the fact that none of his skills have much value away from the playing venue." I disagree with his statement because when you reach a certain level of visibility, you are a role model whether you chose to be one or not. Athletes are seen as heroes because they can do things that most of us can't do. They can hit fastballs coming at them at nearly 100 miles an hour, and leap and hang in the air, seemingly defying gravity, or slam a ball over a net. Athletes who are champions also show qualities such as perseveran...

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...elf, athletes are always trying to improve. Just because athletes aren't the CEO of a finance company doesn't mean that their job isn't challenging or important. Their job requires an abundance of hard work and dedication. As humans, no matter what the job, we always run into pitfalls and error. So it is quite unfair to judge the jobs of athletes. Top athletes are constantly trying to improve. What's more, they can stay focused, often under intense pressure. Who can forget the gymnast Kerri Strug's stunning vault, despite an injured leg, that sent her team to a gold medal finish at the 1996 Olympic Games? Hard-working and highly motivated athletes understand that there is more to sports than winning. To rise to the top of any profession or sport, though, takes countless hours of practice to fine-tune the skills needed to accomplish your goals.