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Today's society consumes media content to a degree not known in eras before this one. That alone can be the driving factor to the ability of a sports celebrity speaker to have an impact when speaking to our youth. The youth of today have a keen sense of connection through media. That connection within itself is powerful.

The impact is brought into play if the sports celebrity is speaking to the youth not via a virtual medium but live, up close and in person. That is where the impact is delivered. There is exhilaration when watching Tiger Woods hit an incredible golf shot or Derek Jeter making an astounding play at Yankee Stadium. That image of brilliant execution is ingrained into the young persons impressionable mind.

With that mental image of the sports hero, doing what heroes do, and the physical presence of that person in the room addressing that young person can be a very powerful and motivating experience. The interpretation of the question posed by this article should not be limited to the notion that sports celebrity has lost a bit of its luster but about what impact can they have on our youth.

Those celebrities that truly believe in giving back to the community at large are definitely making an impact. I am not going to profess that we need these sports figures to raise our children. What I will say is we live very hectic and time consuming lifestyles. It seems that every minute is accounted for and sometimes there lacks the opportunity to spend quality time with our youth.

If a Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams or another recognized sports celebrity takes the time to address our youth with a positive message, we should embrace it. These people may not have all the answers or be infallible but to believe that they don't have an impact is not a sensible rational.

We must take care of our children and instill in them the teachings, beliefs and social skills that will make them productive and compassionate members of society. That is our job as parents and caregivers and should not be handed off to anyone. That being said if a truly genuine, thoughtful and humble sports celebrity has some words of encouragement and motivation to give my child, I would thank him or her for taking the time to give back to our most precious resource

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