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Matt McGraw is right. No one has to be a role model in athletics.
By now, most of you have readhis column from Thursday’s issue about how positive role models in the sports world do not exist. After all, everyone knows about the negative things that go on. Everyone knows that because these people make millions and get scholarships, they must be bad people.
Everyone makes mistakes. That is a part of life.
However, just because someone who is an athlete makes a mistake, it does not mean that everyone can be classified into a group. That is like saying anyone who is 6’2” and black should be in the NBA and every Canadian who can skate should play in the NHL.
Let’s go back to this argument of having no role models in athletics. If there were no role models in sports because athletes only care about personal gain, then explain how a man on a bike wearing a yellow bracelet has increased cancer awareness.
In this case we can bring it closer to home.
If there are no athletic role models on this campus, explain this. When I was in the Union on Friday, why did a cashier wear a Derek Damon jersey instead of just a regular one? It has nothing to do with the fact that he is a local boy who did well. It is because there are respectable things about him and other athletes on this campus.
If we can sit in Alfond Arena and cheer on Cheryl White as she scores a goal, or watch a game at Kessock Field and see Molly McKinney make a diving catch, then why can’t we commend them for doing charity work in their community?
Just because a crowd is not there to cheer them on does not stop athletes from doing good things.
Role models are just like the rest of us. They come in different backgrounds, genders and races. We choose to look up to these people because there is something about them that we aspire to, not because of their millions of moves, but because of who they are. More importantly, the real reason we may look up to athletes is this: Even in their darkest hour, they show that they are like the rest of us – human.
When you look at the big picture, it comes down to one thing. It is not the actions these people commit that turns our head, but the manner in which they handle them.
So, the next time you see someone like men’s soccer goalie Chad Mongeon sign autographs for a kid after a game, remember this: If they can have an effect on someone while they are playing, imagine what they can do just by giving them five minutes of their time.
That is what makes a role model. Not the ability to be good for 60 minutes or four quarters, but the ability to be great all the time.
