ARE FOOTBALL PLAYERS ROLE MODELS?

On February 15, 2014, Ray Rice, who was a star running back for the Baltimore, Ravens at the time, was captured on a security camera savagely beating his wife in a hotel elevator. In the wake of the ensuing scandal a number of television personalities posed the question, "Should football players be considered role models?" Implied in the question is the idea that our obligation to do right is commensurate to the number of people who are witnesses to our behavior. And to a point I agree- if given a stage a person certainly has an obligation to use it to promote virtue- but, to some extent, all this "role model" talk strikes me as indicative of a society that has taken its eyes off God.

As long as we emphasize being a role model over being a person of true character we are placing the first importance on how we appear rather than on who we actually are. This only encourages good behavior when people are watching. Someone might say, "I don't smoke dope in front of my employer" or "I would never use foul language in front of  the kids," as though their conduct only becomes an issue when it is witnessed by someone else. This pervasive outlook makes virtue optional in  the privacy of our hearts or in hotel elevators. The result is a society of Jekyll and Hydes who are saints abroad and devils at home. The essence of character is what we do and don't do when we are alone with only God as a witness. As Hebrews 4:13 says, "And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."