Sporty Role Models

Last Saturday, Colbert King ran an opinion piece in the Washington Post that made a solid argument as to why sports figures should not be held out as role models for personal behavior. Clearly, recent events between Tiger Woods and Gilbert Arenas, prove him to be right. King argues that athletic prowess does not translate to a good moral compass or maturity (in fact with the coddling of star athletes nowadays it may in fact mean just the opposite). Sure, King is right. Why would we assume that talent and ethics are linked? Why can't we just admire athletic talent and not "want to be like Mike?"

When we look to people who exhibit extreme talent or genius - whether that person is Madonna, Bill Cosby, Bill Clinton, Miley Cyrus, LaBron James, or Andy Warhol - the part of us that admires their talent wants to be like them. We identify with them. What would it be like to be Madonna? We ask ourselves. Little boys jump into a fantasy world where they become Kobe Bryant on the court. What would Kobe do to get around that guard? Budding artists paint vases full of flowers with patches on their ears pretending they are the tortured Van Gogh. Once we identify with the player/singer/artist/politician, we have taken them on as a person. It is very hard to then remove them from a whole self - because we are whole selves. We take on a person and pretend we are them - we fill in the pieces we don't know and create a whole being.

What does that mean for the star? King seems to be letting them off the hook. We should know better. We should be able to dissect their talent from the rest of them.

Judaism has a different approach. Recognizing that it is part of the human condition to emulate people and that our calculations of the person are always exaggerated, Judaism puts the emphasis on the behavior of the star or the leader. People in the public eye are always held to a higher standard. Moses made one mistake - hitting instead of speaking to a rock - and he is barred from entering the Land of Israel. King Saul lets his concept of compassion overtake God's directive and he is cut off from the Kingship forever. The texts are showing us the supreme responsibility a public figure takes on. Our historic leaders are presented in the texts with their imperfections. None of us are without faults. However, the brighter our star shines, the more careful we must be in all facets of our lives because we take on the responsibility as whole people. It is not our talent that's famous - it is us.