Role Models

As a witness to the changes in sports technology, particularly here on the internet, over recent years the lines have become blurred between what is news and what is entertainment, what is sports and what is politics, even what is male and what is female, all of which has taken their toll on Sports in general.

​Our business is video recording and live streaming of sports. We like to think that ProFileSports.TV is part of the solution. We teach young athletes from the very beginning to begin managing their public image early. That they are always on – like our cameras. Therefore they need to be on their best behavior and give their best performance. You never know who may be watching. Could be recruiters, or family members. Our videos are used by coaches for player development, for athletes to study and improve at their sport and to help student-athletes market themselves to colleges for athletic scholarships.

The promise of the internet was that it was supposed to shine a light on everyone, making everything more transparent and therefor more honest. Because we would all be held accountable for our actions and the things we say. Instead things have only become more messy and overwhelming.

Our heroes have fallen off their pedestals, and are getting ground up in the mess. 

Sports used to be where we could go to escape for a few hours. Our role-models may not have been perfect people, but we did not have to know everything about them. They had personal lives and they made their impression on the field of play. But today some sports figures, networks and resources seem compelled to use their platform for political purposes.

The consequence is harming the integrity of the sports industry and it’s reputation. But the biggest losers are our young athletes who are being deprived of clear role models. Especially female athletes are leaving organized sports in droves as a result. If a biological boy who “identifies” as a female today sweeps the competition and wins scholarships that were intended for her, who will our young ladies have to look up to? How can they identify with these champions? And too many promising young athletes are asking themselves why should I even try? 

It is the wild-west right now online. But I do believe it will get better. It has to. If mistakes, even ones as flagrant as the one committed by Myles Garrett depicted in the video above, could be forgotten -  or at least forgiven - eventually. I believe we will figure out how to manage our own behavior as individuals, protect our reputations and use that light shining on each of us for good. 

It is more important now than ever before for role models to be self-aware, more disciplined and responsible for the things we say and do as they come up. That is why we teach young adults to start managing their sports careers from an early age, because you never know who will be watching one day, and you never know if you may become one of our future role models.

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Video Clip extracted from CBS News article.
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