Mass Media and Sports
English 1020, 81327
2 October 2010
Mass Media and Sports:
Riches to Rags, Rags to Riches What parent would want their kid to say, “I want to grow up to be just like Ray Lewis. I want to play as hard as him, win Super Bowls like him, and even be indicted on murder charges like him!” No parent would, but it’s not at all wrong for a juvenile to say they want to play like the 10 time NFL pro bowler and two time NFL defensive player of the year. At the same time, it’s not wrong for the mass media in sports to be reporting news about professional athletes having legal issues. Charles Barkley, former 11 time NBA All Star and MVP of the 1992-93 NBA season, argued, “I don’t believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models….Parents have to take better control.” (qtd. Barkley). Barkley feels the media is demanding professional athletes to be looked upon as role models to kids because the media is covetous of what these athletes do for a living. He also feels the media is trying to make the whole essence of being a black professional athlete cohesive because all they’re doing is playing a game and making millions of dollars (Barkley). On that same note, a number of professional athletes can be represented as great “role models” by our own definition in both aspects of their playing ability and personal life, regardless of their race. Some professional athletes live by good morals because they feel they need to give back to the communities in a way since they realize they’re so fortunate to be able to play sports for a living, while others do feel it’s necessary to set good examples for kids to look up to(Are Athletes Obligated 1). Essentially, the media’s job is to observe, analyze and report. The media simply broadcasts news for their consumers. What these consumers are seeing, regardless of age, is entertainment news when it comes to sports in media. A professional sport is an entertainment business and most of this news
2 October 2010
Mass Media and Sports:
Riches to Rags, Rags to Riches What parent would want their kid to say, “I want to grow up to be just like Ray Lewis. I want to play as hard as him, win Super Bowls like him, and even be indicted on murder charges like him!” No parent would, but it’s not at all wrong for a juvenile to say they want to play like the 10 time NFL pro bowler and two time NFL defensive player of the year. At the same time, it’s not wrong for the mass media in sports to be reporting news about professional athletes having legal issues. Charles Barkley, former 11 time NBA All Star and MVP of the 1992-93 NBA season, argued, “I don’t believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models….Parents have to take better control.” (qtd. Barkley). Barkley feels the media is demanding professional athletes to be looked upon as role models to kids because the media is covetous of what these athletes do for a living. He also feels the media is trying to make the whole essence of being a black professional athlete cohesive because all they’re doing is playing a game and making millions of dollars (Barkley). On that same note, a number of professional athletes can be represented as great “role models” by our own definition in both aspects of their playing ability and personal life, regardless of their race. Some professional athletes live by good morals because they feel they need to give back to the communities in a way since they realize they’re so fortunate to be able to play sports for a living, while others do feel it’s necessary to set good examples for kids to look up to(Are Athletes Obligated 1). Essentially, the media’s job is to observe, analyze and report. The media simply broadcasts news for their consumers. What these consumers are seeing, regardless of age, is entertainment news when it comes to sports in media. A professional sport is an entertainment business and most of this news