As young children, we always idolized athletes as our heros and were always in awe of the special talents of our athletes. At the Olympic Games, we could see our heros fighting hard to win for our country. However, today we realize that our athletes are not as perfect as we thought they were. In the news this week, Michael Phelps, a U.S.A. Olympic swimmer, has recently gotten himself into a bit of trouble. Phelps was charged with a DUI and speeding last week in Maryland with a blood alcohol volume of .14. This is not the first offense on Phelps. In 2004, Phelps was charged with a DUI in Salisbury, Maryland. He was also caught on camera smoking marijuana five years later.
Following Phelps arrest, he released statements through social media that he will be getting help with this problem. The four time Olympian said, "swimming is a major part of my life, but right now I need to focus my attention on me as an individual." The U.S. Swimming executive states serious action must be taken due to his behavior. As a result, the U.S.A. Swim team has decided that he will not be paid his stipend and will not be on the U.S.A. Swim team next year for the summer games.
After reading this article, I was pleased to hear about how quickly the U.S.A. Swim team took action on this case. Compared to the past two articles in the news about Ray Rice and Hope Solo, the action of the U.S.A. Swim committee has put my faith back into professional sports. After Hope Solo, was charged with domestic violence, she was still part of the U.S.A. Women's Soccer team and Nike was still sponsoring the athlete. For the Ray Rice case, the football star was not punished until months after. Those that have committed a crime should be immediately punished.
As a spectator, Phelps's image should be one that inspires us to do better and to influence the younger generations. Many young swimmers aspire to be just like Phelps and to further themselves to the professional levels and, one day, an Olympian themselves. After the news broke of his DUI, Phelps was immediately punished for his wrong doings. Again, I applaud the U.S.A. Swim team for taking action.
However, does social media portray his action as a bigger issue than if Phelps's was not a famed Olympian? I believe that social media takes cases of athletes to a whole different level. Social media has somewhat tainted the athlete. Today, we assume that Phelps is a bad athlete because of his criminal charges. Will we every look at Phelps and his talents the same as compared to before his criminal charges?
As future practicing athletic trainers, we should not discriminate any of our athletes after having knowledge of their criminal charges. They are still part of the team and should be able to receive full attention as the rest of the athletes. If any one of our athletes is having problems with drinking and drug use and have no one to turn to, they should be able to come to us, athletic trainers, for guidance. I know that it may be difficult for those to individuals to come forth and confess but we should all be open-minded to hear what the athlete has to say and assess the situation to move forward.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/06/sport/michael-phelps-suspended/index.html
Annie- Isn't it sad that the faces of some of the country's most idolized athletes are all over the news because of their poor behavior? I agree with your statement, "we should not discriminate any of our athletes after having knowledge of their criminal charges." Our duties as an athletic trainer is to provide ALL of our athletes injury prevention, rehabilitative care, and clinical diagnoses. We must provide these services to the starting quarterback as well as the fourth string kicker. These services also need to accommodate individuals who may have a clinical record and those who have never received a speeding ticket. Athletic trainers must let the school and/or organization deal with the problems that arise from an athlete's criminal action. We must keep our focus on the athlete's health and be able to recognize if the athlete needs a helping hand in something other than sports medicine. Athletic trainers need to be a neutral party in all criminal investigations because our top priority is our athlete's health.
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