Band 6+: Some people think that as long as professional sportsmen and sportswomen are good players, their behaviour on and off the playing field is not important. do you agree or disagree?

It is sometimes argued that attitude of high-ranking professional players in or out of playing field is unimportant. In my opinion, it would be wrong to consider athletes unaccountable for their actions whether they are on or off their professional duties.

There are several reasons why I would argue against having unchecked behaviors amongst skilled athletes both in and out of their playing career.Firstly, athletes are thought to be role models in our society. The impact they make in their field of work resonates to far and wide; which often create lasting impression on people of various ages. Generally, people like to emulate celebrities. There is a psychological process called ‘identification’- a need to incorporate attributes and behaviors of another person or group. A good example of people identifying with high ranking sportsmen is seen in the highly sought after soccer player Christiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese national and internationally acclaimed superstar, his playing prowess and gimmicks on the field while playing tend to be adopted by so many upcoming players around the world. On the other hand, if he were to behave in an unruly manner his great influence on many people could lead them to replicate such misbehavior too and in turn lead to a widespread decline in societal norms.

Secondly, every sporting organization has a regulatory body with their set of policies and principles binding all employees. Good conducts on field promotes great sportsmanship and enhances high teamwork among players. Players can only achieve this through being held accountable for their actions in and out of their work. The existence of regulatory mechanisms as seen in football games such as : use of red cards, yellow cards and virtual assistant recordings (VAR) e.t. c are good ways to ground athletes in order to maintain the code of conducts. Athletes are employees in their place of work too; hence, they should be held accountable for their actions and practices.

Finally, I believe that accountability of skilled sportspeople both in and out of their field of work should be made compulsory, because they have their personal lives outside of work, and as such must comply with societal rules and regulations in order to have a balanced society that is free of oppression.

In conclusion, I completely disagree that seasoned athletes should be left alone to act without restrictions whether in their field of play or in their day to day life activities.