Athletes shouldn't be our role models

In the wake of the recent Tiger Woods apology, I thought I would give my two cents. Originally I was going to comment solely on the speech itself, but that has been done 3,000 different ways already. I think we can all agree that Tiger Woods isn't the person we thought he was, and that he will never truly recover from this scandal. Sure, the sponsors will come back and people will love him again, but this will be a cloud over him for the rest of his life. It's a sad state of affairs, but he has no one to blame but himself.

There seem to be two main camps people are a part of. One group thinks Tiger's personal life is none of our business and he shouldn't feel the need to apologize. After all it's not like he broke any law. The other camp think Tiger is a fraud and thinks his personal life is absolutely our business. I tend to lean toward this group because the personal lives of public figures are open to being scrutinized in this day and age. Plus, I can't defend or say nice things about a person who cheated on his wife. Just don't get married Tiger.

So, what does all this have to do with the title of the post? Well, the biggest reason this is such a big story is because of a huge problem in the world. That problem being that we look at athletes and movie stars as our role models rather than people we actually know. It's kind of sad isn't it? A lot of people in this country come from bad backgrounds where they don't have anyone else to look up but famous people they read about and watch on T.V. We treat these athletes like they are our own family, but in reality we know nothing about them. Tiger Woods shouldn't be anyone's role models besides his own kids. Its fine to look up to him and want to have what he achieved, but don't act like he is the person you want to be because you don't know him.

My dad is my role model and always will be. Even if a red headed NBA player that likes 2pac, Phil Collins, and kayaking comes along, my Dad will always be my role model. You know why? He's always been there for me and I can trust him. I love Larry Bird to death, but he wasn't helping me with my homework when I was a kid or going camping with me. Role models should be people you know and that have been there for you through your good and bad times. Sure, your mom and dad don't have millions of fans paying to watch their profession every night, but that shouldn't matter.

There's a big difference between admiring someone and someone being your role model. I admire Tiger for his incredible talent on the golf course, but I think it's sad that people who have never even met the guy lose sleep over this whole incident. I really hope those people can build actual real relationships with people so they can have something more tangible to consider a role model. Thanks for reading everyone!

Peyton Manning isn't that clutch

Watching the Colts lose is almost as satisfying as watching the Patriots win.  Needless to say I was ecstatic with the Saints 31-17 victory  in the Super Bowl last night.   Going into the game everyone was talking about Manning being the greatest QB ever, and maybe at the end of his career he will be.  However, he definitely isn't the most clutch and his playoff record is pedestrian at best.  Manning has a career playoff record of 9-9 and has repeatedly lost games where the Colts were the favorite.  His only Super Bowl win was against a team led by Rex Grossman. Even that year they had to come back from 18 points down to beat a Patriots team whose best receiver was David Givens. 

The Colts are turning into the Atlanta Braves of the NFL. Year after year they win their division and come into the playoffs as favorites.  But at the end of the day they can't finish.  This is America where we value championships above all else.  Hell, we consider Joe Namath one of the greats and his numbers were average at best. By the way, he could be the most overrated player of all time.  Anyway, when Manning threw that interception to basically seal the game last night, I was the happiest guy in the room.  I thought to to myself how thankful I was not to have to listen to two weeks of Manning coverage. The fact that he refused to shake hands at the end makes it even better.  See, the Patriots aren't the only ones who are bad sports!

Enough talk about Peyton Manning though. Let's talk about one of the best stories in the history of sports; The New Orleans Saints.  Remember this team was as good as gone after Katrina. But Paul Tagliabue insisted the Saints stay in New Orleans.  The Saints had been the Clippers of the NFL for so long and were more or less a joke.  Then Drew Brees gets signed as a free agent and the rest is history.  By the way, that has to be the greatest free agent signing in sports history.  Not only has he put up huge numbers and won a Super Bowl, but also been instrumental in getting the city of New Orleans back on its feet.  I don't know anyone who doesn't like Drew Brees. The guy just seems like a genuinely nice person and he's also an incredibly gifted quarterback.  I hope the Saints continue to do well in the coming years.

Sean Payton has to be given a lot of credit as well.  The onside kick call to begin the second half was the play that changed the whole complexion of the game.  What other coach makes that call in the NFL? Certainly not Jim Caldwell, who I'm still convinced is some kind of robot.  That call reminded me of how Belichick used to be back when he was at the top of his game(sigh).  If the play doesn't work out the Colts probably win the Super Bowl.  But you know what, if they just kicked it off regularly the Colts probably would've won as well. Never underestimate the importance of momentum in sports.

Well, football is over now and it's bittersweet.  The Saints beating the Colts was pretty much the best thing that could happen  with the Patriots being elimintated.  The fact that it happened in that fashion makes me down right giddy.  On the other hand, football is over and my Sunday's wont be the same.  Thankfully I'm a huge NBA fan, but there's something about football season that puts an extra hop in my step.  Congrats to the Saints and to the city of New Orleans!.