"I am not a role model!" Remember when Charles Barkley uttered those words during a Nike commercial in 2003? Is he right? There are those that would argue that Barkley, along with all paid athletes are role models. They are in the public eye and they have a responsibility to the people who watch them, especially the youth, to set the proper example. Who said that is how it is suppose to be? This weekend, Tiger Woods had back to back average rounds of golf and decided not to face the media. Should he have? Is it his responsibility to? Is it the money that they make that obligates them to be who we look up to?

So you are a kid growing up practicing your jump shot. You make the varsity team, next you get a scholarship and finally you are in the NBA. Time to act wild and crazy, right? Well, I would argue that athletes don't behave themselves because they are worried about people emulating them. They are more worried about what the corporate sponsors will have to say about their conduct. Because if Madison Avenue isn't happy, you don't get paid. That leads us back to what do athletes owe us?

When I stand outside after a game and a player is going out to their car and I want an autograph, does he owe me one? What if he doesn't give me an autograph, is he a jerk? I think it is hard for any of us to say what an athlete's obligation is to us, the fans. I mean, we do ultimately pay their salary, but does that get us some type of credit that the athletes need to continuously pay against? So next time you walk out of your office and on your way to your car, imagine people rushing up to you and asking for your autograph. Or what about when you make a mistake at work and get chewed out by the boss, are you ready to tell the office about it? Sometimes we do look at athletes as larger then life. True, they do make a great amount of money, but as Barkley said, "I'm not a role model. Parents are role models. I get paid to reek havoc on the floor!"

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