People hold different views about how a successful sports person affects young people. While I tend towards the viewpoint that their behavior in and out the field can negatively impact young people, I would argue that professional athletes can set positive examples for the younger generation.
To begin with, it is imperative to acknowledge the adverse influence that professional athletes can exercise on the younger generation. Firstly, in some sports like football, during football matches, footballers may have arrogance towards their opponents and they can have arguments with their opposite teams. If young people watch these games, it can cause them to have bad habits of easily fighting against their counterparts when having arguments. Moreover, in real life, some athletes can have bad reputations about using alcohol while driving or drugs when playing sports on fields, which can adversely affect young people because they will have inclinations to mimic their idols.
On the other hand, there are many reasons why professional athletes are often regarded as positive examples for the younger generation. The first reason is that they can inspire young people because of their dedication and efforts in sports which are crucial for achieving success in life. As a result, young people can learn from their great examples and try their best to gain what they want in the future. Additionally, when some athletes have difficulties and obstacles on the way to pursue their goals in sports, they still show great strength of will to overcome these hardships. Their strong will can increase the younger generation’s self-determination to achieve success.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that professional athletes can serve as positive role models for young people because of their efforts in sports and how they motivate and inspire young people.