Friday, August 24, 2007 at 1:01am
Athletes are not role models
Column: For His Glory
Michael Vick's "fall from grace" is another example as to why athletes should not be role models. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback will plead guilty this Monday to charges of horrific animal cruelty. He will plead guilty to allowing gruesome dog fights to take place on his property, fights that usually led to the death of one or both dogs.
What compels a famous athlete like Michael Vick, who seemingly had everything, down such a gruesome path? With a $130 million contract and numerous endorsements, including his own shoe line, you would think he would be happy. But, oh, how we know that money and fame do not bring true happiness.
All of his money did not surround him with people who know and seek to do the will of God. Michael Vick should have had advisers who would have told him that cruelty to animals is wrong. Somewhere among his entourage there should have been a voice of reason, but unfortunately there was none to be found. Even his "friends" are about to testify against him in order to save their own skins, proving that there is no loyalty among criminals. And, sad to say, this once admired athlete on Monday will be a criminal. A promising football career will go down the tubes, proving once again that athletes should not be role models.
We have seen this too often with athletes — Kobe Bryant, O.J. Simpson, "Pacman" Jones, Mike Tyson, Jason Giambi — who have set a bad example in a public arena. This is why we need to be careful how we portray these athletes, because in the end the only person worth emulating is Jesus Christ. How long is it going to take for society to realize this? Unfortunately, some will never understand this. Hence, as a society we will keep putting our athletes on a pedestal, only to be let down; some would even justify their behavior by the faults of their athletic "heroes," not realizing that to compare oneself to anyone but Jesus is wrong. "When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise" (2 Corinthians 10:12).
We need to look at Jesus and the life He lived in order to be inspired to live beyond our humanness. God has called us to be perfect as He is perfect. To you that may seem as an impossibility, but with God all things are possible, for He is the author and finisher of our faith. Therefore, do not let an athlete's "fall from grace" stop you from achieving the goal God is asking you to reach.
For if Michael Vick has "fallen from grace," as secular society understands it, he has not fallen from God's grace. Even now, in the moment of Vick's darkest hour, God can sustain him if Vick would just turn to Jesus for forgiveness. If God can do that for Michael Vick, God can do that for you if you so desire. Hence Jesus, my friend, is a role model indeed.
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Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. Copyright 2007 by Gio Marin.
What compels a famous athlete like Michael Vick, who seemingly had everything, down such a gruesome path? With a $130 million contract and numerous endorsements, including his own shoe line, you would think he would be happy. But, oh, how we know that money and fame do not bring true happiness.
All of his money did not surround him with people who know and seek to do the will of God. Michael Vick should have had advisers who would have told him that cruelty to animals is wrong. Somewhere among his entourage there should have been a voice of reason, but unfortunately there was none to be found. Even his "friends" are about to testify against him in order to save their own skins, proving that there is no loyalty among criminals. And, sad to say, this once admired athlete on Monday will be a criminal. A promising football career will go down the tubes, proving once again that athletes should not be role models.
We have seen this too often with athletes — Kobe Bryant, O.J. Simpson, "Pacman" Jones, Mike Tyson, Jason Giambi — who have set a bad example in a public arena. This is why we need to be careful how we portray these athletes, because in the end the only person worth emulating is Jesus Christ. How long is it going to take for society to realize this? Unfortunately, some will never understand this. Hence, as a society we will keep putting our athletes on a pedestal, only to be let down; some would even justify their behavior by the faults of their athletic "heroes," not realizing that to compare oneself to anyone but Jesus is wrong. "When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise" (2 Corinthians 10:12).
We need to look at Jesus and the life He lived in order to be inspired to live beyond our humanness. God has called us to be perfect as He is perfect. To you that may seem as an impossibility, but with God all things are possible, for He is the author and finisher of our faith. Therefore, do not let an athlete's "fall from grace" stop you from achieving the goal God is asking you to reach.
For if Michael Vick has "fallen from grace," as secular society understands it, he has not fallen from God's grace. Even now, in the moment of Vick's darkest hour, God can sustain him if Vick would just turn to Jesus for forgiveness. If God can do that for Michael Vick, God can do that for you if you so desire. Hence Jesus, my friend, is a role model indeed.
— — —
Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. Copyright 2007 by Gio Marin.