growing up I watched guys like Roman Gabriel, Jack Snow, all those guys. I never considered them "Role Models" more in the way of sports heroes, guys I wanted to emulate when playing football, in the yard, etc.....My role models came from my actual life experiences, people in my community who showed how to live in the world I lived in. Some teachers, some people in my Temple, neighbors and how they went about taking care of their life homes,families, even yards......
I never had a chance to see Gabe, or Snow, or Deacon etc. save for their actions on a football field....Maybe that is the problem in todays world these kids only see how a guy plays a game and that is all that is in their world?
Taking care of your business, going to school, making sure you stay right, learn, grow form real people right in your own backyard are not of interest? It's more how a guy thumps his chest after scoring a basket, or dancing after a score, or talking trash...most sports stars are models for those things for the most part....Notice I said MOST stars......When a kid sees AD swinging a helmet, or guys throwing helmets, or punching other players etc....it should be a given those things are not proper.....but comes from the people the kid grows up around....not from the big superstar on the TV.
IMO kids need to find their Role Models from their own life experiences, not on a phone, or a TV........