In the past year, there have been many peculiar instances in the world of sports. Time and time again, pro athletes have proved that although they have mad skills in their fields of endeavor, they continually lack common sense and good judgment. Begging the question, “Are there any good role models left in sports today?”
Plastered over headlines everywhere, talk of the ‘Gilbert Arena’s Fiasco,’ as I call it, has plagued newspapers and left nearly everyone speechless wondering, “What was he thinking?” In case anyone has been living under a rock and happened to miss this little piece of news, the story is this. Gilbert Arenas, guard for the Washington Wizards, pulled out an unloaded gun in the Wizards’ locker room and pointed it at one of his teammates. After the incident, investigation unveiled that he had not only the one gun used in this debacle, but he also had numerous other unloaded ones that he claimed were there for storage. In his defense though, Gilbert Arenas did state, “It was only a joke.” Are you crazy, Gilbert? What planet have you been living on? Everyone here, you know down on earth, absolutely knows that pointing a gun, loaded or unloaded, is never funny…in any way possible.
In another instance over the summer, Delonte West, guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was pulled over by authorities for speeding on his motorcycle, so pretty routine, right? Wrong. When the police checked his guitar case, they found a loaded shotgun and two handguns. Hey, Delonte! Are you doubling for Antonio Banderas in the ‘95 thriller Desperado or what’s the deal? I mean seriously, what else would you do with that much artillery cleverly disguised in a guitar case? Just to humor the thought, let’s make a list, shall we? One, rob a bank. Two, kill someone. And, three, rob a bank! Yes, I repeated myself, but only to emphasize and drive my point that there aren’t too many things anyone can do with Delonte’s weapons of choice that are not illegal. One thing’s for sure, he certainly wasn’t hunting, am I right?
It’s not only the NBA with a bad track record. November 2008, Plaxico Burress, wide-receiver for the New York Giants, accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a Manhattan night club. But wait, the plot thickens. Not only did he shoot himself, but to add insult to injury, he shot himself with an unlicensed gun. This inevitably led to him being convicted on weapons charges and he is now serving a two year prison sentence. First off Plaxico, what are you even doing with a gun? You’re 6’5” and 231 pounds of pure, solid muscle. I’m pretty sure if anyone wants to pick a fight with you, your fists are sufficient weapons to subdue any threat without the use of a little ‘water pistol’ handgun you’re carrying around. And second, “Ouchtown! Population, you bro!” (Pepper Brooks, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, www.imdb.com) You nearly shot your nads off! All I’m saying is two inches over in certain direction and you could have been waving bye-bye to a certain little friend.
Millions of little boys and girls are looking up to pro athletes as what they aspire to grow up and become. I’ll admit to it. Growing up, a little toddler, I would sit in my backyard with my Power Ranger cap on backwards playing on my little Tonka basketball hoop imagining that I was Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen. With that said, I know firsthand the influence an athlete can have on children, who are so impressionable. I can see it now, kids in middle school pulling out guns during weights class because ‘it’s funny’, or kids accidentally shooting themselves because they think it’s cool to play with guns. These athletes might not know it, but they actually took part in adding to a decrease in how serious children take gun safety nowadays.
Athletes, being icons to little kids have an obligation to act in a righteous manner in order that future generations grow up to emulate guys with good morals and character thus having a butterfly effect in a way towards a better society in America and the world. Be forewarned though, this isn’t just a call out to pro athletes, but all athletes in general including college and high school athletes alike. Make a difference today in a young person’s life by making good decisions and being a good role model. I say this because even though an athlete might not be known on the world stage, playing ball at the high school level is cool enough for kids, and you never know when they’re watching and trying to be like you.
