Time to re-examine how we view athletes

The recent news involving Chicago Blackhawks’ star forward Patrick Kane is shocking, but not the least surprising. It merely adds to a long list of athletes who have gone “knuckle-head” to make a fool of themselves.

For those of you who do not follow professional sports and are not aware of the incident, here it is in a nutshell: the 20-year-old forward (left) was returning home with his cousin from a party at 4:00 a.m. this past Sunday on a taxicab. According to reports, the cab fare was $13.80USD. Kane paid the driver $15.00 (some reports said $20.00), and the cab driver could only return $1.00 (or $6.00) in change, claiming that he did not have 20 cents on hand. Kane then was alleged to punch the cab driver in the face, and proceeded to take away the entire taxi fare. Kane and his cousin are now charged for felony robbery and misdemeanour. Kane has entered a “not guilty” plead as of today.

While more recent reports, including one that cites the cab driver’s lawyer, are trying to downplay the incident, and trying to make it sound like it was merely a “minor dispute” that occurred over the fares from the ride, it is indelible that an altercation DID happen and Kane had used excessive force during the incident. The case, in my opinion, would be settled before even going to the court, and charges may be dropped outright, but that does not change the fact that Kane most likely has done something extremely stupid.

Which takes me to my point: how many times have we heard the terms “star athletes” and “crime” linked in a news report? From O.J. Simpson’s murder trial, to Kobe Bryant’s rape accusation, to Michael Vick’s dog-fighting ring, to Michael Phelps’ “bong” incident, to Plaxico Burress’ gun charges, to Kane’s altercation… (I can go on and on) And these are only incidents outside of the playing field/court! Why are we still, as a society, worshipping athletes and other celebrities, and worse yet, teaching our future generation to do the same?

Don’t get me wrong – there are tonnes of athletes and celebrities that are solid citizens, and good role models. Tony Dungy, the retired Indianapolis Colts coach, is an upright man who has set many great examples to others; Jim Abbott, the former California Angels/New York Yankee pitcher, remains an inspiration to people with a physical disability; Warrick Dunn’s story of forgiveness to the murderer of his mother brings tears to fans and non-fans of the Tampa Bay Bucs… I can continue to name these names, but that is not my point.

Fact is, athletes and celebrities are HUMANS, who have their victories and demons. While we should celebrate their victories and cheer for their achievements, we need to keep things in proper prospective. People, in general, should not be worshiped as idols.

When I was a little boy, I read about George Washington to learn of the value of honesty; I read the story of Helen Keller to learn about the value of perseverance; I read the story of Thomas Edison to learn about the importance of an inquiring mind and work ethic… I was never taught to make these much more worthy people my idols (and worse yet, gods). It’s time we return to that when it comes to our celebrities.