Which athletes/celebrities would you want your kids to look up to?

Don't be an asshole. It's a sincere question.

 

There's no room for jokes when sincerity is invoked.

 

You really think that's worth a "lighten up" type of response? I think my reaction was quite justified.

We reward snark more every day around here.

 

Yes. Bravo.

 

Because snark is funny.

 

Of course. Who else would you need?

Unless it was this guy:

 

When did Joe Pa become off limits?

He is the perfect example of why you should be very careful about idolizing any celebrity athlete type. The perception of the illustrious builder of men has changed quite a bit in the last year wouldn't you say.

 

I would say. Which is exactly why that's not the answer here.

 

Athletes? Celebrities? None of them.

 

Charles Barkley made that the answer of the decade. That didn't necessarily make it right.

If you want your kids to have role models, and if you're OK with them being celebrities, they are out there. Not every professional athlete is a maladjusted social leper.

If you don't want kids looking up to athletes, that's your call. But that doesn't mean decent role models don't exist.

 

Paterno is a legitimate answer. My father is a Penn State grad (as are my grandparents, my great-grandparents, my aunt, my uncle and a cousin).

I'll bet the first songs I learned as a kid were the ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and then the Penn State fight song.

I grew up hearing story after story about how Paterno was so much better than everyone else...

Now he's in hell waiting for Jerry.

 

--Bobby Orr. Didn't accept Blackhawks paychecks when he couldn't play.
--Martina Navratilova. Paradigm of tolerance and empowerment.
--Danny Thomas. Dedicated most of his life to aiding sick children