I’ve often ranted about how we as a culture have put people on pedestals and call them “celebrities. ” I’ve also made many comments about how these celebrities often act as though the world owes them something… because…

  • …they’re famous?
  • …we pay ridiculous sums of money to watch them perform?
  • …they feel some sense of entitlement to the adoration which their fans lavish on them?

A lot of people gave Charles Barkley flak when he said that he’s not a role model.  What they fail to realize – or maybe it would be better to say: “fail to remember” – is that he put the onus of being a role model on the parents:

I don’t believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models…. It’s not like it was when I was growing up. My mom and my grandmother told me how it was going to be. If I didn’t like it, they said, “Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.” Parents have to take better control.

Wow.  What a concept.   Yet, parents get up in arms when their kids emulate the behaviors of their favorite athlete, actor, singer or whomever… all because they didn’t take the time to get involved and don’t know who their kids are or who their friends are or anything about their interests.

That being said, it is encouraging to see someone who’s been elevated to “star status” giving back to the community.  My coworker, Jason, sent me a link to this video which shows Miami Heat player Shaquille O’Neal doing his part to help tackle the problem of childhood obesity.

I had the opportunity – and pleasure – to meet Shaq a little over ten years ago, when he was still playing for the Orlando Magic.  I also met his teammates Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott.  Shaq was soft-spoken, but personable and very approachable; his teammates… not so much.  In fact, they acted almost as if they couldn’t be bothered… or that they were “too good” to talk to anyone in the establishment.

I’ve seen many things in Shaq’s career, both on and off the court, that have favorably preserved the memory of a night in Orlando of a quiet young man who happens to be good at his job and understands that his time on the court may be brief and that fame may be fleeting, but that he can do something to bring a positive influence to those around him.

If only more people would do this…