Athletes In Society
...me type of hero status that other, less accomplished players are held. By looking at American society and its values, it is easier to understand why a once-in-a-lifetime athlete such as Barry Bonds is admired from a distance. The first thing to discuss about the controversial Barry Bonds is his immeasurable talent. Bonds' presence in the batters box strikes fear into the hearts of his opponents, and he has become the best hitter in baseball. Cy Young award winning pitchers are intentionally walking him because they do not believe that they can consistently get him out. Fans around the world are in awe of his accomplishments every day, and each season seems to engrave the name Barry Bonds deeper into baseball's storied record books. His talent speaks for itself, and Bonds' fanfare is mostly drawn from his play on the field. This fact sheds light onto certain aspects of our society. Athletes can inspire people; great players have a natural grace that draws fans to them like honey draws bees. Bonds and athletes like him make grown men long for the days when they competed in sports. All in all, the American public loves a hero on the playing field. I believe that we love our athletes partly because they do things that only a select few people can do. Not everyone can hit a ninety mile-an-hour fastball; not everyone can score thirty points in a basketball game. Therefore people respect, admire, and cheer for the privileged minority that can accomplish these feats. In the movie "A League of Their Own" Tom Hanks states," It (baseball) is supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard everyone would do it (baseball). The hard is what makes it great." This quote illustrates the fact that our society admires the gifted athlete who can accomplish impossible feats on the playing field. All in all, the American public loves a hero, and Barry Bonds is a perfect candidate for our society to get behind and support. In addition, our society places its athletes on a pedestal, and this element of hero worship can have both negative and positive impacts. Our society seems to forget that these athletes are also human beings that are as fallible as anyone else. Society wants its heroes to be perfect, to be the shining star that everyone wishes they could be, and we are often shocked and outraged when we discover that our extraordinary hero has an ordinary problem. Society holds these athletes in such high regard that, if an athlete falls into some struggle, people write him off as if he were less than human. In reality, these athletes are human beings just like the rest of society, and fans should be more understanding of their hardships. It is obvious that athletes are held to a high standard than most people, and this reflects society. Our culture gets so caught up in the ordinary business of day-to-day life that we need a release; people need something or someone to make them forget about life for a while. Athletes provide this release for many people, and when athletes fall into trouble, individuals are suddenly reminded that everyone, even superstars, can make mistakes. We want our heroes to be perfect, and when they fall short, the sports world is heartbroken. A person with the celebrity status of Barry Bonds can uncover many aspects of American society. He is as well-known in our country as baseball itself, and the attitudes that people have in regards to the great slugger show many tendencies in our culture. Americans love underdogs; our culture is constantly rooting for the overmatched opponent. ...