Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Oscar Pistorius, Ryan Giggs.
The list of former role models that have seen their star fall in recent years
is ever growing. Whether through a string of adulterous relationships (Woods
and Giggs), drugs (Lance Armstrong) or the premeditated murder charge
(Pistorius), those sportsmen that were once held up as the ideal role models
have now fallen by the wayside.
Each of these role models was built up by the publicity
companies and by the media. Tiger Woods was billed as the ultimate professional
– controlled, ultra-focussed and a true family man – and an inspiration to the
black community in what was still generally viewed as a white-man’s game. Lance
Armstrong was the man who overcame cancer to become the most successful cyclist
in the history of the sport with seven Tour de France titles. Oscar Pistorius
was the double amputee that had become the dominant sprinter of his generation
and the first amputee runner to compete in the Olympic Games. Ryan Giggs was
long seen as one of the most respected players in football – his dedication to
maintaining his level and fitness was an inspiration to many – and was seen as
an excellent family man, immune to the temptations of celebrity.
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| Lance Armstrong recently revealed that he had been doping almost his entire career |
Great athletes do not generally make great role models. Even
disregarding the recent scandals, that should be obvious to the majority.
However, the recent examples have demonstrated how the publicity and media
machine has built up these seemingly perfect role models, leaving their flaws
hidden in the background. In the modern age of technology, as sport has become
more and more of a global phenomenon, this fantasy has grown to astonishing
proportions.
“My story can be an inspiration to all those that have
experienced a similar problem.” With one or two tweaks, this simple statement could
be applied to virtually every sporting role model that the machine has created
over the past decade. Woods and the colour of his skin, Armstrong and cancer,
Pistorius and his disability, Messi and his growth hormone deficiency. The list
is virtually endless.
The myth of these sportsmen being the perfect role models
continues to grow and become more and more pervasive into everyday life.
However, the sportsmen that have become the subjects of these myths are finding
it harder and harder to live up to what they have supposedly become.
The seeming need to turn to drugs in many sports to reach
the pinnacle is still an issue (despite the repeated claims of many sports) and
the temptations that come with celebrity, particularly given the almost
limitless opportunities for adultery.
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| Tiger Woods was introduced to golf before he was even 2-years old |
Furthermore, many of these sportsmen have been groomed from
an incredibly young age to reach stardom. As a result, many of them are
entirely unprepared for adult life. They have grown up in the public spotlight,
receiving everything that they have ever wanted, having virtually every
decision made for them by the army of publicists and agents that swarm around
even the merest hint of celebrity.
They are simply not used to people not saying yes to them.
This means that they can often struggle in difficult personal situations, where
they have to make decisions themselves and where they may not always get their
own way.
Maybe it is time for the machine to stop building up these
tainted role models to unachievable levels? Not that it will happen though. The
likes of Woods, Pistorius and Armstrong may have fallen from their perches, but
it is only a matter of time until the next generation of role models take their
place and must live up to impossible standards.