by Destiny Crick

Created on: November 20, 2009

Can Sports Celebrity Speakers Really Have an Impact on Today's Youth?

My answer is yes, absolutely. Athletes work hard throughout their entire life. They are very disciplined and dedicated. They practice, train, work out, and stay in shape. All of that practice pays off, because they become rich, famous, and well loved. They prove to the rest of the world that if you work hard and stay focused, your dreams can become a reality. Some athletes do not always make the best choices off of the court (Michael Vick, O.J. Simpson, and Dennis Rodman). These are just a few people compared to the millions of other athletes.

I have never seen an obese basketball or baseball player. Obesity in this nation is on the rise and does not show any signs of improving. Being fat is normal now. It is very unhealthy to be obese. High amounts of body fat can lead to heart disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, heart attack, depression, joint and back pain, arthritis, some forms of cancer, high blood pressure, and many other dangerous diseases or disorders. Even a few extra pounds can make a huge difference when it comes to your health. If your child idolizes athletes and sports stars, they are more likely to be active. They try to play basketball like Labron James, or football like Tom Brady. They will want to practice and train hard so that they can play for the Indianapolis Colts, the New York Yankees, or the San Antonio Spurs. If today's youth were more active today, they would be more fit and healthy as they become adults. They need to go outside and play soccer instead of playing Grand Theft Auto on the Playstation.

Your child will have many different role models throughout their lifetime. Some of them look up to basketball and football players. Some look up to actors and actresses. Some want to be like a famous rock star or musician. Some name firefighters, police, and the military as their heros. Many will look up to their parents, siblings, teachers, and people they spend a lot of time around. Many of the young actors and actresses do not make good role models. Take Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears for example. Paris can be found naked on the internet in her sex tape. She has not worked hard a day in her life, unless you want to count the jobs she had to have while filming The Simple Life with her real life best friend Nicole Richey. She parties it up in all of the bars and clubs she can find. Then look at Brittany Spears. She got so drunk that she got married while in Las Vegas. The marriage only lasted a few hours, or until she sobered up to realize what she had done. Then she married the biggest loser she could find, Kevin Federline, who turned out to be much better of a parent than she is. She has had numerous psychological breakdowns, including the time she shaved off all of her hair. Many of the actresses today's youth looks up to end up in a drug rehabilitation center, like Lindsay Lohan did. Many are anorexic or bulimic (Mary Kate Olsen). Many end up pregnant at a young age while they are unmarried (Jamie Lynn Spears). Do you want your child to look up to people like this? These actresses show your children that it is okay to drink, do drugs, party, and have sex with anyone they please.

If today's youth is going to look up to anyone, why not sports stars? They need positive role models. Idolizing athletes will make them get off their rear ends and get active. It is much better to look up to them than the unwed mothers who are in and out of rehab, that they would be watching on the television.

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