Sport has a large impact on people’s lives, especially those of true fans of certain sport arts. Undoubtedly, football fans know such public figures as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Neymar. Hence, many companies sign contracts with these sportsmen for advertising, marketing, or popularity reasons. It can be concluded that many individuals without being interested in sports know the most popular sportsmen and pay attention to their public events or speeches. In the case of fans, the impact of sportsmen on people considerably increases. Therefore, the production of a positive image and participation in diverse popularity-increasing events is an important part of a career in sports. In this essay, such sportsmen as Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, and Kobe Bryant will be looked at as positive role models, and their inspiration practices will be estimated.
Mariano Rivera is a well-known baseball player who earned broad-based appreciation and admiration, especially by New York Yankee fans. This baseball player made his career by playing for the Yankees from 1995 to 2013, and later, in 2019, received an election into the Baseball Hall of Fame (Tackach, 2020). Rivera is known as a focused, concentrated, dedicated, and stoic professional who never ran from difficulties and was able to immediately understand the situation on the field. These qualities shown during his professional career speak for ubiquitous admiration. People generally appreciate sportsmen and public figures who show significant levels of love for the game and their team, motivation, and strength, as well as perfect decision-making during the game. Additionally, Mariano Rivera’s remarkable qualities include “his poise under pressure, his dignity in losing, his ability to put defeat behind him and come back to win” (Tackach, 2020, p. 80). These characteristic traits make Rivera a perfect candidate for public appreciation and explain his usefulness in the role of a public role model.
During his career and after retirement, Mariano Rivera has been taking part in diverse volunteering and charity activities. For example, the sportsman established a scholarship fund that bears his name, organized a charity golf game to save money for the White Plains hospital and its fund, and invested in several projects. Hence, Rivera leads an active life even after his retirement, which makes him a positive role model representing baseball after the end of his career. Sportsman’s charity activities, personal traits, dedication to the game, and talent inspire baseball fans and increase public love for this sports art among different populations.
Along with Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter is one more person appreciated and well-known among baseball fans and in the world of sport. His achievements during his professional career are undoubted; hence, he is considered to be one of the most successful shortstops and players, which puts the sportsman in the public eye. Although Derek Jeter played his last season in 2014 and then retired, his popularity never vanished due to his fans’ love and the player’s character shown during games. In addition to his professional career in baseball, Derek Jeter took part in a range of fundraising, charity, and volunteering events.
For example, in 1966 the sportsman established a charitable organization “Turn 2 Foundation” that aimed to lower the intake of drugs and alcohol by children and prize them for high educational achievements. Moreover, he took part in several events that aim to popularize sport among children. Therefore, Derek Jeter’s professional achievements, charitable activities, and strong character helped him gain popularity and become a positive role model. In addition, Jeter often inspired fans by often working with social media, reporters, and news channels, giving interviews, and representing the team; hence he was the player with high levels of interaction with social media.
Kobe Bryant is one more significant player; however not in baseball but in basketball. Unfortunately, this great sportsman died in 2020 by the age of 41 in a helicopter crash; however, he is still one of the most admired and well-known basketball sportsmen in the United States. All his career, Bryant played in the club “Los Angeles Lakers” and set several new world records. For example, Kobe Bryant is the youngest player that managed to achieve the traverse of 30 000 points by the age of 34 years and 104 days. In addition, the star possessed many different talents, such as a certain talent for acting. Moreover, the player had a number of fans even at the beginning of his professional career. This fact can be explained by his family roots; the player’s father is a former NBA player Joe Bryant who gained some popularity during his career as well. Hence, due to various professional achievements, participation in diverse events, collaboration games, and even movie production, Kobe Bryant earned ubiquitous support and love.
Moreover, his attitude and support expressed towards women’s basketball were appreciated by diverse populations and increased his positive public image. Although some may consider this support as a tool of increasing popularity, such a statement is totally wrong. According to Chris and Morton (2021), Kobe Bryant formed friendly relationships with many professional female basketball players and with female top management figures even when the rest of the team preferred to ignore them. This difference in attitudes proves the sincerity of Bryant’s intentions and actions. Additionally, Kobe and Gigi Bryant had a mission of changing the game of women’s basketball, and this remains their unfinished legacy (Chris & Morton, 2021). Therefore, Bryant’s personal and professional characteristics, his attitudes towards others, especially female basketball professionals, and his broad interests helped the player be a positive role model and inspire his fans even after his death.
References
Chris, H., & Morton, J. T. (2021). Unfinished legacy: Kobe Bryant and his support of women’s basketball. Journal of African American Studies, 25, 312-323. Web.
Tackach, J. (2020). Mariano Rivera: Hemingway hero. The Hemingway Review, 39(2), 78-85. Web.