Do you Idolize?

[Cheese]

Or maybe a better question is..."Should we Idolize"?

Have you followed an athlete, or other person, so closely that you worshipped the ground they walked on?

Heres a clip from a Bill O'Reilly segment...and no Im not a proponent of his, Im just using this to start the argument..

...But why should we care? First of all, millions of American children idolize athletes. And according to studies, about 80 percent of American kids cheat in school. Most don't even feel bad about it. Where do you think they got that attitude? How about from adults who cheat. The big picture here is that America is losing sight of boundaries and fair play. Our competitive society and greedy businesses like big league sports tolerate all kinds of bad conduct.

and this comment from Linda Cohn, anchor, ESPN Sports...

There is nothing wrong with idolizing an athlete, but let it be known and reminded that -- and I do this for my kids -- you can idolize an athlete all you want, but you have to remind them they are not supermen, that they are human beings, and human beings do make mistakes and they're not perfect. I have no problem with kids idolizing athletes.

So where do you sit? Do you Idolize, and if so who or whom? Do you go out and buy an athletes/actors clothing line/jersey/etc? Do you see a problem with how children Idolize, and how they mimmick what athletes do. (eg Basketball players and the hip hop era, steroids, hockey goons, tobacco chew, hair styles)

If you have or if you were to have children where would you draw the line in worship of famous people?

[Kybosh]

All idols are false save one. . .sorry just had to say that. As far as idolizing celebrities is concerned I don't think it's a huge deal. By and large the most influencing factors in a childs development are the parents/family and peer group. This could just be a way to transfer the blame off the people responsible towards scapegoats.

Now, I'm not defending the lifestyles of these celebrities but the idolization of celebrities is just something children do until they build an identity for themselves (outgrow it). I do not currently have children but I would most likely not prohibit my kids from idolizing a celebrity/athlete. Ideally I would be a decent enough parent to be able to guide them towards less of an idol and more of a role-model. Hopefully that role-model is myself and my future wife.

[Frank the Tank]

I'm going to be VERY careful who my son idolizes. Hopefully its his old man!

[habernac]

I buy jerseys with ahtlete's names on the back. And other sports stuff. I admire their athletic accomplishments. I wouldn't say I idolize them, though. There are people that I most definitely idolize, but they aren't athletes. My idol is my Dad.

[Cheese]

Larf @ Frank....love your avatar bud!!!
So you want your boy to idolize you and grow up to work for a brewing company? j/k

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Cheese

Larf @ Frank....love your avatar bud!!!
So you want your boy to idolize you and grow up to work for a brewing company? j/k

Ha! Ya, 16 months old and my brother and I have already brainwashed him!

No I don't hope he works as a graphic designer anyhow. Thankless, heart-attack inducing job!!

[Hanna Sniper]

Nothing wrong with children Idolizing famous musicians/athletes/hero’s it’s all part of the process that helps define and help a child grow, find their own identity, help provide an extra motivational factor.

If I was a parent would I encourage this behavior? absolutely 100%. A problem only exist when the parent fails to provide the necessary teachings and influence to their child and then looks to blame outside influences as an scapegoat to cover their own shortcomings as a parent.

[Buff]

Why stop at people? People don't just idolize people. They idolize cars, technology and money. Is it wrong to idolize objects? I'd say so. It leads to selfishness. Is it wrong to idolize people? I think so. There is nothing wrong with having a role model, someone to look to for inspiration, but worshiping said person is a bit much if you ask me.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I don't idolize, but i generally pick my favourite players I don't try and mimic their characteristics, but I generally pick players with similar traits to me

[Hakan]

I have a man-crush on Iginla. But I idolize nobody. I'm punk as fata.

[pope04]

I'm now 40, so I have no idols per se. But in the late '70s, my god, I worshipped Guy Lafleur. The way he played the game, the way he looked.........wow. The way he elevated his game in the ugly face of 1970's intimidation from behemoths like Dave Schultz and John Wensink, I haven't seen anything since that can compare. And any hockey fan that was around in the spring of 1980 (or so) can't forget Corey Guernsey (sp?), the Calgary kid who was stabbed while wearing his Lafleur jersey and wouldn't let the hospital staff cut it off just added to Lafleur's mystique (Guy contacted the kid and promised to score a goal for him...........and did, twice). Of course, Lafleur had a few problems on and off the ice in the early eighties, and the Flames came to town, so I gradually grew out of my "idolization" stage. Like I said, I'm older now, the father of three boys, but to this day when I see old footage of Lafleur, I am once again transformed into a teenager and I am riveted to the tv.