Prep Voices : Those in Spotlight Must Also Accept the Glare

Nobody’s perfect.

Years ago, our sports heroes were admired solely for what they accomplished on the playing field. Sure, they had foibles and faults--just like their modern counterparts--but we were usually kept in the dark about their off-field exploits.

What used to be considered the private part of an athlete’s life--perhaps kept that way through a gentlemen’s agreement between player and reporter--is today made public as competing newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations vie for the “exclusive” story.

Athletes aren’t the only ones who undergo such scrutiny; anybody who stands in the public spotlight must accept being held to a higher standard by admirers.

In a TV commercial, basketball superstar Charles Barkley said he didn’t want to be a role model. Olympic silver medalist figure skater Nancy Kerrigan echoed Sir Charles’ sentiments during a TV interview not long ago.

But many professional and amateur athletes are looked up to by young people hungry to find someone to emulate. Is it fair to expect any athlete to serve as a role model?

It might not be fair to expect anybody to serve as a role model. But young people will continue to look up to someone, to hang on their every word and, perhaps, to copy their behavior. And that’s always going to come with the territory of being a star.