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The importance of good early childhood education
The importance of good early childhood education
The importance of good early childhood education
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For decades we've debated the merits of whether or not we should consider professional athletes to be role models. The debate is really unavoidable; it's thrust upon us - and upon the professional athletes - for one simple reason: our kids just happen to idolize, emulate and identify with these popular characters more so than any other group of people.
In 1993 Charles Barkley - then one of the highest profile stars of the NBA - attempted to settle the debate in a Nike commercial when he declared, "I'm not a role model." He further clarified his stance in the ad by explaining that only "parents should be role models," and that just because he got millions of dollars for dunking a basketball, doesn't mean he should play some sort of surrogate parent role and raise other people's children. Of course, I'm not really sure any of us were expecting him to.
In retrospect, it's hard to decipher just exactly what Barkley was trying to achieve with this message, although we're a bit more clear on Nike's motive: they were just trying to
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And it stands to reason that children, whose brains are still developing through age 25, are in the most vulnerable position of being influenced, one way or another. So Barkley was right in one sense; the modeling behaviors of parents, teachers, coaches and - later on in life - bosses and mentors - are absolutely paramount in influencing the behaviors of children, students and subordinates. But whether Barkley likes it or not, knows it or not, or even intends it or not, he and other professional athletes' behaviors - good or bad - will indeed serve as modeling for millions of people; most of them kids. That's just the way it is. And in the case of a recent episode involving a 28-year-old professional baseball player, that's not such a bad thing for the rest of
Stephen D. Keener, writer for the New York Times, says in his article Sports Teach Kids Valuable Lessons, “The lessons young players gain between the foul lines have guided some to become astronauts, emergency first responders, bestselling authors, military heroes, professional athletes and even president of the United States” (Keener). Keener talks about how playing on a sports team as a child can teach the kid very important characteristics, like: teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship. Any kid who wants to get a job when they’re older is going to have to know how to work well with people, which is where learning the skill of teamwork is so huge. Considering Ripley’s point about sports lowering academics, Keener argues, “These lessons directly translate into the classroom and beyond” (Keener). These are some very important lessons I think that kids can benefit from
In the collegiate world of sports, basketball has become an increasingly recognized sport among African Americans, predominantly males. The hope of any young basketball player is that one day a scout will come and recruit them into stardom The question that presents itself as a problem to the lucky few who are chosen to go professional, is whether or not an education is more important than a million dollar shoe deal, “The NCAA's (1998) annual six-year study reported that only 33% of Black male basketball players graduated, (Chronicle of Higher Education, 1999). Individually, basketball reported the lowest graduation rate in all divisions,” (Robinson, 2004:1). Basketball players have become so idolized in the eyes of young Black male basketball athletes, that the value of education appear to be less important in the development of these young men, “According to Sailes (1997), there is an over-representation of Black males in particular sports and an under-representation in other segments of American society. He provides the example of percentages of Black males competing in the NBA (77%), NFL (65%), MLB (15%), and MLS (16%) in comparison to the fact that fewer than 2% of doctors, lawyers, architects, college professors, or business executives are Black males.”, (Robinson, 2004:1). The idea of the attainment of a professional basketball player’s salary in the NBA, without even having to go to school for the time it takes to earn a degree is very appealing to some players. Those with a wealthy, or even upper-middle class upbringing may not view material assets as a priority. In the Black community, we have theorized that money and success play a more important role than education in most households. Although these two seem to go together, one resulting from the other, this does not apply in the sports world. Our research will examine the role that the family value system plays in influencing Black vs. White male athletes to turn professional, as opposed to obtaining a college degree before turning professional.
...ennis, basketball, soccer, and martial arts—have come from the days of cheerleading and synchronized swimming when she was growing up in the ’70s.” Disparities in media coverage and over-sexualized female athletes on magazine covers is something that needs to come to an end because of its effects on both male and female viewers, young and old, athletes and non-athletes. Both female and male athletics influence young people and shape their personality and morals as they mature. Retired WNBA player, Lisa Leslie credits her participation in basketball with shaping her character, as well as her career. “Sports can also help teenagers during an awkward time in their development.” (“Women’s Athletics: A Battle For Respect”). The solution is to come together as a society and identify how to balance the respect for female and male athletes in the media.
David Robinson watches the final seconds tick off the clock of the 2003 NBA finals. It was his second championship, and his last as he retired the following summer. He had a stellar career, putting up huge numbers and making a few appearances in the Olympics. Even through all of the fame he received from being a star basketball player, he remained humble, donating millions of dollars to charity. His arsenal of different dunks and post moves were definitely missed on the basketball court, but nowhere near as much as his leadership ability. After all, it wasn’t jump shot that he taught to all of his teammates, nor was it his crossover that he shared with his wife, and it certainly was not the proper rebounding form that he felt would be most important to pass on to his son, David Jr. Of course not. Beyond the championships and the double-doubles was his leadership, and that is what would define him as a father, a basketball player, and a United States Navy Veteran.
Many NCAA basketball players who make the decision to enter the NBA are not mentally prepared to deal with the responsibilities of life in the NBA. Young players depend on others who influence them or help make bad life decisions. What the young players visualize as the reward for playing in the NBA is the big money and with that big money make many mistakes financially. In th...
Lebron is a positive role model because of how he voices his opinions on social issues. Lebron feels a need to voice his opinions on social issues to show people it is not bad to speak your mind no matter if it is accepted or not. Such as when Lebron wore a “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirt during warmups (Scott). During the 2014 year a man named Eric Garner was choked to death by a police officer. LeBron being the kind of person responded not in words but in action. He along with other wore these T-Shirts to speak against police brutality. Another time Lebron made his opinions known was when he and other spoke out against the racial injustice that exists today (Grossman). He put on a speech on national television. It was not to berate anyone or group but was to inspire change in relations between people and law enforcement. He made it known that Black were target of this kind of crimes more than whites and brought that knowledge to the public stage. It was
The trend has become money first and books second or never. Most of the young athletes entering the draft early are immature, because of their age, and are completely unprepared for the tremendous salaries they will possibly be receiving. When these youngster see the enormous amounts of money they can be making in professional basketball, it seems as though education and morals become a distant thought to them. Sitting through lectures and writing research papers is considered a waste of time to these young prospects. Education is stressed daily in today’s society, with academics normally being emphasized over athletics. Yet, with today’s growing trend of players leaving early, it seems as though academics mean nothing to these young phenoms. In the summer of 1995, Sports Illustrated interviewed nine highly touted high school seniors about their college intentions. Four of these players expected to leave after three years, four expected to skip town after two years, and only one planned on staying to get his degree. “As all of this young talent continues to skip through college and enter the NBA, the quality of both games will suffer immensely.”(Blum, 43) This trend will eventually threaten the talent level and integrity of both the college game and the pros. The NBA and the NCAA need to sit down to discuss possible solutions to the problem.
When someone says the name Michael Jordan, the first thing that comes to mind is basketball, The Chicago Bulls and Nike shoes. Through the years, Michael Jordan has proved time and time again that he is the greatest basketball player ever, and by performing in this rapidly expanding sporting field, he has gained tremendous popularity throughout the world. People of all ages and from all nationalities have gathered to watch him play. A journalist states 'even your Aunt Matilda might not know nothing about basketball, liked watching him play' (Jonathon 1999:58). Jordan has become more than just an entertainer. He is a hero and a role model amongst basketball spectators. Johnson claims that 'he is the most famous American in the world' (ibid.). Perhaps he was born to be the best.
Athletes often times fear getting turned down, being classified as a lair or false advertisers whether by their parents, coaches or other sources. Young athletes will not normally address a parent due to the fear of their parents not believing them. Aly Raisman once said, “I wouldn’t allow myself to believe that the problem was you. From the time we are little, we are taught to trust doctors”(1). In addition, this shows that growing up most kids are manipulated into believing that an adult is always right which is not necessarily true.
Aiming to be a pro athlete is one goal that many young kids have, they look up to stars like Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, and other sports superstars. They bad thing about this worship of these athletes is that not many of these kids will have the chance to become a star. So if these kids grow up in life being told that they can do it, this can really affect those children’s goals in life. Instead of focusing on their school work they instead might just focus on trying to learn more about how to become an athlete which can lead to them getting poor grades in school. The kids look up to the athletes for all the good things they also get influenced by the bad things that they do. For example when Michael Phelps smoked marijuana it was all over television and the news. So when a young kid that looks up to Phelps sees him doing this that child might think that smoking marijuana is okay sin...
Then I found all of the good things that numerous players have done to help others. Just because they want to help doesn't mean that we should expect them too, because they are only human. We should not have athletes as scapegoats if children are resistant and defiant. Those are the responsibilities of the parents. Just because there are some bad people in sports today, doesn't mean that we should generalize.
Athlets have been lookd up to as role models for as long as sports have exsted. There is just something attractive about the thought of being in good physical condition and being talented in sports. But, are athlets the kind of people that children should be looking up to for direction and guidance? Many children often look up to the professional athletes as role models. In fact, in 1995 Sports Illustrated for Kids did a survey for kids who were ages 7 through 12 about who their role model was. The majority of the kids answered that a professional athlete was who they most looked up to. Only four percent of the children answered that their role model was one of thir parents. Because of today?s media, athletes are constantly in the public eye. Everything they do on and off of the playing field. Some professional athletes speak a positive message through their fame by demonstrating constructive ideas such as teamwork and commitment while they are on the field. Even off of the playing field some athletes set a good example by visiting children in schools, going to hospitals, or even setting up foundations and organizations to help the ill and less fortunate people. However, other athletes are not as considerate to the fact that someone may be looking up to them, some athletes are not concerned about anything other than the sport they are getting paid to play and themselves. These athletes are the ones that propose questions over whether athletes should be considered role models or not. A role model can be defined as a person whose behavior, example or success is or can be emulated by others, especially young people. Who would want their child looking up to someone who has been convicted of domestic violence or has a drug addiction? It is an argument of opinion that cannot be settled.
The sports of today have changed the way the players play the game. Starting on the professional sports level, bad sportsmanship behaviors, like the use of steroids or "throwing" a game or a match in an effort to please the sports gambler trying to get their big pay-off, has trickled down through the college level and even down to the high school level. One person recalls the days when athletes played their sport for the love of the game, because it is what they lived for. They remember when they were younger, sitting in their grandfather's lap and watching the Atlanta Braves (in the days of Dale Murphy, Bob Horner, Glenn Hubbard and other great names in Braves history) running out on the diamond every game. In fact, they quoted country artist, Collin Raye, saying [I've been] "a Braves fan even through the rotten years". Watching these games, they remember looking up at their grandfather’s face and seeing the look he had in his eyes by watching these guys play their sport from the heart. Now, years later, sports have been threatened by strikes. The athletes playing now aren't playing because they love to, but now it's more about the money and how much they can make. Sports of today are tainted and don't come from the heart. The kids today need to be taught what it was like "in the good ole' days" and how playing sports teaches an individual about how to work with other people and how to pull together as a family.
Athletes are an everyday example of imitation. Athletes have role models that they look up to while growing up. For example, superstar athlete LeBron James has stated in numerous interviews that he aspired to be like Michael Jordan while growing up. He was influenced by someone who was successful and is considered the greatest of all time. Mimicking Michael Jordan’s game, LeBron has been put into a position where he is an idol for others. He can now show off his creativity, which others can look up to. LeBron James has established himself to the point that others will ...
How can children be expected to learn good sportsmanship if their role models are telling them to "win at all costs" or "just do what ever it takes (to win)?" Athletes and sports- crazed parents should remem...