Baseball Digest Classic Discussion: Higher Standards – Part II

Written by: Erika Lynn on 30th August 2010

Baseball Digest Classic Discussion: Higher Standards – Part II | read this item

Yesterday Bill Ivie introduced a new topic for Baseball Digest’s Classic Discussions series, addressing the issue of whether professional athletes, considering their position as role models, should be held to higher standards or be allowed to freely speak their minds under the banner of freedom of speech.

Read Bill’s Article By Clicking Here

Today I am adding my two cents as a mother and as a baseball fan.

At first, combining the discussion of professional athletes’ First Amendment rights with their responsibility as role models confused me. Like many adults, I have some rather negative preconceived notions about professional athletes. The tabloids and mainstream media have provided ample evidence that professional athletes are often far from perfect. Drugs, infidelity, violence, greed, deception and a general air of entitlement have knocked many superstar athletes off the moral pedestal once blindly considered a right instead of an honor. So for me, the two phrases “professional athlete” and “role model” are rarely directly linked.

Gone are the days of our parents and grandparents when every child on the block would rush outside after school to play, envisioning themselves the next Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth or Roger Staubach. Sadly, the children of today live in a society inundated with breaking news and overexposed celebrity. Paparazzi and the competitive press scramble to be the first to uncover dirt on popular public personalities. That level of exposure makes it nearly impossible to find worthy role-model candidates when no stone is left unturned in a celebrity’s private life.

As a parent, I am therefore leery to encourage my children to idolize any sports figure. Why falsely elevate a professional athlete’s moral status when he or she could easily disappoint and disillusion my child through any variety of personal mistakes? Case in point: last year people worldwide were shell-shocked by Tiger Woods’ fall from grace.

Unfortunately, the key to promoting professional sports figures as inspiration and motivation for today’s youth may require the separation of their athletic accomplishments from their private lives. And the bigger issue may be the blurring of the terms “sports icon” and “role model.”

For the select group of individual players who welcome the label of role model and volunteer their time mentoring children, the issue of free speech is probably irrelevant. Those individuals likely already hold themselves to higher personal standards of character, knowing that their public conduct is on display for the children with whom they work.

However, in the vast array of professional sports, the actual number of athletes who qualify as icons, heroes or role-models is strikingly small. So I believe the basic question of whether professional athletes as a group should be held to higher standards regarding their public words and actions should simply be a matter for the clubs that employ those individuals.

In an effort to avoid sounding like a Cliffs Notes excerpt to a U.S. government textbook, I will instead simply state the obvious. Freedom of speech is an integral part of American culture, but like all rights, there are some exceptions. Put on a uniform and you are no longer representing yourself as an individual. Employees in a wide variety of fields from law enforcement to restaurant wait staff are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on their employer. The responsibilities of a professional baseball player should be no different.

Each ballclub has a distinct personality with different expectations regarding the team character and how it prefers its players to reflect that image. Some teams are more lenient when a player mouths off. For example, when Brandon Phillips (2^nd baseman for the Cincinnati Reds) openly and profanely insulted the St. Louis Cardinals prior to their series a few weeks ago, Reds management was dismissive. Other teams may not have been so tolerant.

I do believe that, as individual citizens, ballplayers are undeniably entitled to their own unique beliefs, opinions and choice of words. However, when in uniform or speaking to the press, their words are a natural reflection on their organization. That said, team management should have every right to expect players to conduct themselves appropriately. If a player’s words or actions cross lines of indecency or are otherwise inflammatory and damaging to the club’s public image, then that should be a matter of clubhouse discipline.

As a parent, I do appreciate those athletes in the public eye who conduct themselves with pride and restraint on the field, in front of the press and in their private lives. They are indeed worthy of recognition and respect, and I believe baseball as a whole would benefit if fans encouraged their teams to take action and preserve the integrity of the sport. However I also hold no false hope that every professional athlete could easily comply to such lofty character enforcement.

For me, sharing the love of baseball with children is much easier as fans of an organization that values character and integrity in its players. Individual athletes will come and go, but a team’s dedication to preserving a solid and respected reputation will make a lasting impression on a child.

All in all, as a parent I would never relinquish the teaching of morals or character development to a sports figure or celebrity. So, while my children may admire the skilled performances of their favorite ballplayers, I would hope that any ballplayers’ words or actions (good or bad, on or off the field) would simply become teachable moments instead of blindly accepted hero worship. Being a professional athlete is a job and players are human; to expect any more from them would be unfair.

Erika Lynn writes about the St. Louis Cardinals for i70baseball.com and BaseballDigest.com. You can find her blogging at Cardinal Diamond Diaries or on Twitter at username @Erika4stlcards.

Share on Tumblr

Topics: Ample Evidence, Babe Ruth, Baseball Digest, Baseball Fan, Celebrity Paparazzi, Children Of Today, First Amendment Rights, Freedom Of Speech, Mainstream Media, mickey mantle, Moral Status, Parents And Grandparents, Preconceived Notions, Professional Athlete, Professional Athletes, Public Personalities, Roger Staubach, Role Models, Superstar Athletes, Tiger Woods

Sue says:

August 31, 2010 at 8:23 am

I do find myself terribly disappointed in players that tinge the sport when they not only fall from grace but actually sometimes crash. But I also agree with you, Erika, when you say that these are “teachable moments” with our children and I’m learning they are “teachable moments” for adults too.
Baseball Digest Classic Discussion: Higher Standards – Part I | Baseball Digest says:

December 31, 2010 at 6:50 pm

[...] will find a link to Part II by Erika Lynn, Part III by Kirk Verner, and Part IV by Drew Sarver here as each article is [...]