Superheroes

Athletes are role models. As are firefighters, police officers, the military, our parents. But athletes are definitely role models. They may not want to be, but once they put on a uniform, people look up to them and they are expected to be better than the rest of us. In many cases athletes live up to the role model standard, but in many cases they stumble (DUI, PEDs, small misdemeanors) and sometimes they fall on their face as Oscar Pistorius just did.

It's terribly sad when heroes fall from grace, but never more so when that hero inspires to such a degree of Pistorius. The magnitude of what he was able to achieve given the obstacles set before him were inconceivable. He proved you don't need legs to run track. Combining science and willpower, Pistorius competed against able-bodied athletes inspiring the nation of South Africa, every disabled person ever, and the world. People watched in awe as he ran and it didn't even matter that he didn't win. He competed.

How then are we not to look at athletes as role models? Guys like Pistorius, Lance Armstrong, Tedy Bruschi, etc, overcoming impossible obstacles to turn their dreams into reality are truly something to look up to. They should be idolized for the faith they give to people trying to conquer their own obstacles. The problem with idolizing humans though is that we forget that they are human and prone to making the same mistakes we make. Americans drive while intoxicated daily. It's wrong and a terrible choice to make, but we are shocked when athletes choose to make that mistake as Todd Helton most recently did. He should know better, he's a hero to some people. He's got plenty of money for a driver, why would he do this?

It's a tough dilemma we face when idolizing humans. You couldn't help but feel inspired when Lance won the Tour de France multiple times, or when Tedy Bruschi played his first game after suffering a stroke. Athletes accomplishing great success spurs an immense amount of feelings and turns them into heroes. Some athletes even play that persona into superheroes, calling themselves Supermen; Dwight Howard, Cam Newton. Athletes are Supermen. Average men can't dunk a basketball, run a 40 yard dash in less than five seconds, or hit a ball 400 feet.

Superman is not human though, and these athletes are. When realizing Pistorius is human, he is viewed completely different. He is no longer the Blade Runner, now just a guy charged with murder. Whether his story of accidental murder or the investigation's story of premeditated murder is accurate, is irrelevant. OJ Simpson was found not guilty of murder, but according to the public, he was not innocent and was hence done being a public hero. Pistorius never denied shooting his girlfriend, and because of this, he's no longer a superhero. An idol had fallen and it's incredibly depressing. Exceptionally depressing for his girlfriend's family and the people she inspired. Depressing for him and how his life will now play out. And depressing for all of those who idolized and were motivated by a superhero only to find out the real superheroes are only in comics.