3 ms·

Criminal behavior is generally presumed to be a reflection of a politician's character, which may affect a politician's decision making in office. I doubt the

• ubernostrum 9y ago
  Athletes are often held up as role models. Why shouldn't their character be relevant?
  • nnfy 9y ago
    Because they're sports players, first and foremost, and people aren't watching ESPN for evaluation of role model behavior? Scrutinizing the behavior of celebrities outside of their work is more along the style of gossip channels like E!.
    • ubernostrum 9y ago
      The thing is, in our society athletes represent one of the few paths to life-altering financial success that's still somewhat open to people from poor or otherwise disadvantaged backgrounds. While there are people who win the genetic lottery and get well-above-average physical capabilities, and people who win the birth lottery and get parents who can afford private coaching and training, there are still plenty of athletes who lack either of those advantages but still manage to succeed through putting in work. Which means they do end up being role models, because "work hard and you can succeed" is something we desperately want to teach children, even when it doesn't seem to be true. So athletes' stories get told as a means to inspire people to better themselves, and that makes their character extremely relevant.