WINNING AND LOSING Competition is a big part of sports and many other aspects of life. Mostof us would rather win than lose, but the reality is that we all losesometimes. Learning how to put both winning and losing intoperspective is something that comes with experience.

Think about these questions and discuss them in a small group.

1. What does it mean to be a winner in your culture? What are theoutward signs of success?

2. Is the concept of being a team player important in your culture? Inwhat areas other than sports, such as school and business, is itimportant?

3. How important is winning to you personally? Are you someone whoalways has to win?

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Florence Griffith-Joyner winning the 100-meterrace at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul

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A Discuss these questions with a partner.

1. A role model is a person that other people admire and whosebehavior they try to copy. Do you have a role model? Who?

2. Do you think famous athletes should act as role models? What aboutmovie stars? Politicians? Religious leaders?

3. In your native country, are athletes celebrities? Do they serve as rolemodels?

Previewing and PredictingB Read the title and the five headings in bold print. Then skim the article by

reading the first and last paragraphs and the first sentence of all theother paragraphs. Use the information to make predictions about thekinds of things the author might discuss in the article.

C Learn the meanings of the following words and phrases before you readthe article.

perseverance (3) mentors (3) get caught up in (7)keep their cool (3) flaws (4) cheering (7)high-profile (3) take in stride (7) distracted (9)

U N I T 4

Before You Read

Athletes as Role Models

UNIT 494

U N I T 4

1CHAPTER

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95Chapter 1 95

1 track – the sport of running races

Athletes as Role Modelsby Sheila Globus

1 Everyone loves sports stars. They lookgreat, they appear on television, and likerock stars, they perform with the entireworld watching. No wonder we makeheroes out of our favorites. Great athletesteach us more than how to swing a bat orblock a pass. In the face of seeminglyimpossible challenges, they teach us thatsuccess—whether on the basketball courtor in the classroom—takes dedication,confidence, and a lot of hard work.

Sports Stars Are People, Too

2 Athletes are seen as heroes because theycan do things that most of us can’t do.Some can hit fastballs coming at them atnearly 100 miles an hour. Others can jumpand hang in the air or throw a ball over anet. They get paid millions of dollars fortheir efforts, and their names and facesappear on everything from running shoes tobillboards. Their words are repeated andbroadcast around the world.3 Athletes who are champions also showpersonal qualities such as perseverance,dedication, generosity, and the ability tokeep their cool under pressure. Many showthose same qualities off the playing field,too. Stories about superstar athletes teachus about working hard and believing inyourself and about being passionate aboutwhat we do. Although it’s usually badbehavior that gets an athlete on the sixo’clock news, many high-profile playerswork hard to be positive role models tochildren. They raise money for charitiesand act as mentors, talking to studentgroups and volunteering their time to

programs that help kids stay off drugs andstay in school.4 Still, even the greatest champions haveflaws. Just because an athlete has theperfect golf swing doesn’t mean he or sheis the perfect parent, friend, orspokesperson. Even rich, famous, andsuccessful people get sick and face thesame problems other people do. They alsomake mistakes. Separating an athlete’sprofessional and personal life can be tough.When a sports star gets in trouble with thelaw, or does something wrong in his or herprivate life, fans often feel disappointed.Before he died, baseball great MickeyMantle, who had serious alcohol problems,told young ball players and the fans whoidolized and admired him to “play like me;don’t be like me.”

Against All Odds

5 Some sports heroes have overcomemany obstacles to rise to the top of theirsport. In 1947, for example, baseball playerJackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgersovercame racism to become the firstAfrican American to play in the modernmajor leagues. Former Olympian WilmaRudolph had to overcome several seriousillnesses. She survived pneumonia andscarlet fever as a child. She then contractedpolio, which left her with a bad leg thatsome people said would prevent her evenfrom walking. Although she wore a legbrace from the time she was 5 until she was11, Rudolph still managed to playbasketball and go out for track1 when shewas 13. While still a high school

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Keeping Things in Perspective

7 Courage and determination aren’t theonly lessons we can learn from successfulathletes. Some of the greatest sportsfigures, past and present, are those who canlook at their athletic achievements and takethem in stride. You have to love a sport todo it and to do it well. But you also have toknow how not to get caught up in the glory,especially when the crowds are cheeringfor somebody else.8 Hardworking and highly motivatedathletes understand that there is more tosports than winning. Being the top scoreror having the best batting average or thefastest time is less important than justgiving it your best shot, whatever theoutcome. Champion distance runner JoanBenoit Samuelson says it best: “Winning isneither everything nor the only thing. It isone of many things.”

The Power of Positive Thinking

9 Athletes like Michael Jordan can sink afoul shot in front of thousands of peoplewaving their arms and shouting withoutgetting distracted. Did you ever wonderhow they do it? Great athletes use thepower of positive thinking. They can focustheir total concentration on the task at hand.They also arrive at the field, rink, or poolfeeling like a winner. They visualizewinning and tackle each game or eventwith spirit and determination.Overconfident? Not really. How often doesthe team rated the underdog2 win thegame?

Being Your Best

10 To rise to the top of any profession orsport takes countless hours of practice tofine-tune the skills needed to accomplish

sophomore, she competed in the 1956Olympic Games. These days, Rudolph isremembered for her inspirationaldetermination to overcome her physicalchallenges, and for her courage in risingabove segregation and racism.6 Few athletes have achieved as manyvictories as cyclist Lance Armstrong. Buthe had to overcome many obstacles inorder to achieve those victories. Lance roseto the top of the cycling world by the timehe was 25. In 1996, he was ranked numberone. Then he was diagnosed with cancer.Doctors predicted that he had little chanceof recovery. However, Lance wasdetermined to fight the cancer, andamazingly, his health recovered. Within ayear of medical treatments, he was able tobegin training again. Lance has won manyraces, including the very difficult Tour deFrance an amazing seven times in a row,and many honors, including SportsIllustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year” andthe Associated Press’s “Male Athlete of theYear.” Through his impressive cyclingvictories and his amazing recovery fromillness, Lance Armstrong stands out as anexample of skill, determination, andcourage.

Cyclist Lance Armstrong has overcome manyobstacles.

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2 underdog – the person or team that is not expected to win

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