There are dozens of athletes that make great role models. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Joe Mauer, Michael Young and many more.
There are equally many athletes you don't want to emulate. But we are going to just focus on one. He is not a baseball player...but an exceptional athlete nonetheless that is wasting his talent and costing his team millions of dollars.
His name is Jamarcus Russell of the Oakland Raiders. The other day, I was at a club where a bunch of college and pro athletes work out and I heard the trainer yelling..."Push it...push it...don't be a Jamarcus.."
Jamarcus Russell epitomizes what an athlete should NOT do. When he first burst on the scene as a Number One draft pick a few years ago, he held out of his contract and then...showed up overweight and extremely out of shape. That was strike one...Athletes take note...Never, EVER, show up the first day of practice out of shape...You should be in mid season shape on the first day, if you want to be taken seriously.
Next, he is usually the last to practice and the first to leave. He is a well known clubber...that is, he likes the nightlife seemingly a lot more than the game of football...Strike Two...Athletes take note again. Be the first to practice and the last to leave. If you are in college, remember, you are being paid to be on this team...EARN IT. Your pay is your tuition and books and a little less burden on your parents. If you are not giving 1000% to your team, then you need to turn in your uniform to someone else that will. Also...nightlife is OK...IN MODERATION. Every hour of lost sleep, and every brain cell killing extra drink you take WILL affect performance. Can you afford for that to happen? Look no further than Jamarcus to see how it can affect an athlete.
Finally, Jamarcus doesn't seem to get his role or the meaning of team player. After an abysmal outing at the beginning of this season, he was asked how he rated his bad performance. His answer was an embarrassment to the team and athletes everywhere. He thought his performance was good. He stopped short blaming his teammates and the coaches, but it was implied by his answer. Strike 3...Athletes, always take responsibility for your own actions. Peyton Manning could throw for 300 yard and 3 touchdowns and he will always be critical of some part of his game. That's how the great players become legends. They are always trying to improve their game.
There's no substitute for hard work. The player that relies on his athletic ability to get by hardly ever lasts in sports. Look at Jamarcus...I can't wait for him to be let go by the Raiders. Guys like that are a cancer for sports.
1 comment:
I wouldn't classify AROD as a role model for his cheating on his wife.
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