Don’t Waste Your Role Models

By: Josh Bullock

I am not under the illusion that athletes are super human, but when I was a kid I was really close to believing they were. I still possess my rather large baseball card collection waiting for the day to hand it down to my children. I love sports. Maybe not as much as I used to, but there is still something deeply imbedded in me that can’t get enough of a good ball game. I also love to watch an athlete with great skill perform at the peak of their talent. Everyone can look at a skilled athlete today and say, “Wow, that guy is a great player!.” There’s a big difference though in looking at that great player and saying, “Wow, that guy is my hero!” I still remember when as a kid I first heard Charles Barkley (NBA Hall of Famer) say, “I am not a role model.” He obviously is not. The debate goes on as to whether athletes ought to consider themselves role models because of the position they are in and whether fans should hold them accountable to be those models, especially for their children. Though men are certainly free to debate what the athletes should do, what we as Christians should do is not up for debate. If we like sports and have made it a major part of our lives, then we need to find good role models, support them, and let them be the sports legends for our children. Christians have no business getting the jerseys of adulterers, drug users, wife abusers, or any kind of bad role model and putting them on their own backs or the backs of their children.
I recently read a biography of St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols and have also been following the career of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow as most people in the sports world have been lately. These are not perfect men, but they are good role models. Not only do they have excellent character, but they are die-hard followers of Jesus Christ. Tebow, when recently attacked for praising Jesus Christ in every interview, responded by saying that you don’t just tell your wife you love her at the wedding and then stop. He feels compelled by his love for Jesus Christ to praise him every chance he gets. Wow! Pujols as well, though not as vocal, is constantly sharing the gospel with opposing team members when they reach first base. He said in his biography that we would be surprised with how many people he has shared the gospel with during major league baseball games! Pujols said his greatest moment in sports was not winning the World Series, but leading a teammate to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
There are many complaints out there today about how thuggish and depraved the sports world is becoming. I admit, the complaints are often right. But there are certainly some good guys (and gals) out there. The Bible says to “abhor evil and hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9). As Christians, we need to stay away from making bad guys our heroes and instead support the ones who are going to be good role models for our children and us. Not only that, but men such as Tebow and Pujols need our prayers. They aren’t just playing ball. They’re also trying to be lights in a dark world.