The Influence of Professional Athletes on Youths

As sport fans, we follow athletes that succeed in their sport and commitment to the game. Once in awhile athletes who are idolized get in trouble with the law, such as inappropriate behavior on the field, committing violence and involvement in drug abuse. These actions do not set a positive example for those who look up to these athletes. One group of individuals who are easily affected by this are children due to their young minds. Children who value the world of sports have players that they would dream to model, such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Lebron James. Famous Athletes, such as these, set an example for children helping them strive to succeed in a given sport. If an athlete does not exhibit appropriate behavior, youth athletes may get the idea that the behavior is acceptable within the sport. This would be a interesting topic when observing social change because people that we model such as professional athletes have the capability to influence us. Whether its learning how to play a particular sport or idolizing them as an individual. Todays youth is an easy target for this because a majority of their knowledge comes from those who are older.