by Ann Marie Dwyer

Created on: April 23, 2007   Last Updated: December 20, 2008

Talent is no substitute for maturity. Professional athletes are getting younger, and their careers shorter. Their skyrocket to celebrity makes them appear as heroes, yet they are poor excuses. The journey to athletic stardom is the first part of the problem, and the behavior afterward is the largest part.

Professional athletes are vaulted into celebrity status by virtue of advertising campaigns and the lavish spotlight of the media surrounding their placement on teams. The culture of celebrity, usually shortened to "cult of celebrity", includes admission into exclusive parties with access to alcohol and drugs, where their excessively large salaries may be squandered and abused.

Although birth certificates proclaim adulthood, many of these young athletes have been cloistered during training and are unprepared for the unscrupulous behavior of agents who would exploit them and periphery personnel who "help" them fit into the new crowd. Introducing fresh athletes to the party scene is considered a right of passage. Athletes are convinced they "deserve" a break; after all, they have arrived. And what is wrong with some (excessive) celebration?

Athletes train for years to attain the professional level. Many of them believe their ascension to that level is the pinnacle of their labors. This thinking is flawed, as it is only the beginning of what should be a renewed commitment to their sport.

Younger players and those who develop a sense of imperviousness after years of renewed contracts feel they are entitled to everything without giving anything further in return. Inevitably, these are the players who again find the spotlight in the form of scandal.

Innocent children see in professional athletes the American Dream. These men and women took sporting ability to the apex of salary and celebrity. Shamefully, some of these men and women do not take that adoration seriously. The exploitation of this form of hero worship makes them increasing amounts of money, which in turn they spend with reckless abandon. Likewise, agents are exploiting the young athletes to garner the most money for themselves before it is gone.

Without the maturity, or a guide, these young men and women make no effort to plan for the future, accident or charity. While there have been notable professional athletes who have given to their home towns, charities for children and disease research, they are far outnumbered by those that spend their wealth solely on themselves and their cronies.

It is unfortunate the converse is not true. Professional athletes should be as true to their innocent fans as the devotion they receive. They should also give back to the communities that put them into a position to be heroes.

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