Comments on: Athletes as Role Models?

By: E. Fink

E. Fink — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:36:00 +0000

Thanks, I appreciate it.

Great article too!

By: The Schmitzer

The Schmitzer — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:01:00 +0000

Rabbi,
I’m a long-time fan of your blog and was happy to have the opportunity to give you a hat-tip at work yesterday

http://www.ehow.com/info_8750222_differences-athletic-virtues-athletic-values.html

By: Mitzvah Maker – Rabbi Fink

Mitzvah Maker – Rabbi Fink — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:44:09 +0000

[...] Thoughts On The Aughts Athletes as Role [...]

By: Another Reason I Don’t Like LeBron James | Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 19:51:45 +0000

[...] have had my criticisms of LeBron in the past. In Athletes as Role Models? I reminded everyone that athletes are just athletes. They are not people worth looking up to. And [...]

By: Sometimes Role Models Are Athletes | Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi

Sometimes Role Models Are Athletes | Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:52:27 +0000

[...] Athletes as Role Models? (Second most popular post on this blog thanks to Steve Mason and Kaplan’s Korner) [...]

By: The Eye Of The Tiger (Fans) | Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi

The Eye Of The Tiger (Fans) | Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:03:53 +0000

[...] one of my most popular posts of all time, getting attention from local Los Angeles sports media, I make the claim that if you [...]

By: Ron Artest Is Going To The Lakers | What Do I Think? | Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:44:39 +0000

[...] you read my blog you should know what I [...]

By: Jewish Blog Roundup | Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi

Jewish Blog Roundup | Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:43:26 +0000

[...] My recent post on LeBron James, his bad sportsmanship and why I athletes are not role models is link… The Sportsmanship post has now surpassed “The Speed of History” as the most popular post on this blog. [...]

By: Obligatory Michael Jackson Post | Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi

Obligatory Michael Jackson Post | Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:34:49 +0000

[...] reminds me of my take on LeBron James and his poor sportsmanship. We need to be sensible enough to differentiate athletic talent, musical talent, or any other [...]

By: Ron Artest Is Going To The Lakers | What Do I Think? « Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:51:34 +0000

[...] you read my blog you should know what I [...]

By: Obligatory Michael Jackson Post « Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi

Obligatory Michael Jackson Post « Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:51:39 +0000

[...] reminds me of my take on LeBron James and his poor sportsmanship. We need to be sensible enough to differentiate athletic talent, musical talent, or any other [...]

By: Jewish Blog Roundup « Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi

Jewish Blog Roundup « Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:49:27 +0000

By: rabbifink

rabbifink — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:33:17 +0000

I did not say I was going to quote anything from the Torah.

I believe the Torah approach is to provide our children with good role models and not rely on athletes or celebrities to teach our children values. Our Rabbis teach he “aseh lcha rav” make for yourself a teacher. That is how we learn – not from superhuman athletes with bad sportsmanship.

By: Forsythe

Forsythe — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:20:02 +0000

you mentioned that you were going to quote some sort of Torah viewpoint here. (“What I feel is what I believe to be the Torah approach but is of consequence and significance to anyone and everyone.”)
did you?

By: rabbifink

rabbifink — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:37:52 +0000

Chaim:

Profound and insightful as always.

By: Chaim Gross

Chaim Gross — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:37:58 +0000

Would it surprise anybody that I did not know about this faux pas or who Lebron is?

Without heroic activity life is mundane;all media athletes or superstars are symbols talking to our need to participate in the herd and the heroic by identification( explaining a lot of media politics). Even acknowledging this social stir in the negative reveals our truly human needs and expectations from iconic heroes of participating in their heroism. Its only when we subsitute this symbolic participation for reality do we reconstruct idolatry as religion .

By: Athletes as role models, take 157 » Kaplan’s Korner on Jews and Sports

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:10:57 +0000

[...] the Pacific Jewish Center in Venice, Calif., wrote about James and other athletes as role models in this piece from his blog. This part caught my eye: That is bad sportsmanship. No question about [...]

By: bobbygee

bobbygee — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:07:56 +0000

I loved their game that’s it. I copied and prefected the moves that they did on the court. My role models were my parents Rabbi,and Minister. Not athletes. Give the cat a break. The state run media or drive by media will tear him a new one and then leave the scene. All the media does is cause wreckage in someone’s life. Bobby Gee. Check out my blog.
http://bobbygee.wordpress.com/

By: anon

anon — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:01:00 +0000

Nice blog! I like it.

Idiotic move on LeBron’s part. Rivaled only by idiotic adults who let their kids worship athletes. My kid loves sports and so do I, but we know who our real role models are…

By: chappy81

chappy81 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:47:11 +0000

Lebron has caused quite the uprising with this one… I think that it was a poor decision, and I can’t think of another high profile athlete to do it since Isiah Thomas did it to Jordan’s Bulls in 93. As Barkeley once said “I’m not a role model!” check out our blog http://doin-work.com

By: rabbifink

rabbifink — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:21:35 +0000

I agree. Maybe that should be his mother’s job… Oh yes, I forgot, LeBron yells at his mother —> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lsAkR09F_I.

But I firmly believe he should apologize not for the sake of the kids but for his own sake. The kids should be learning from REAL role models, not superhuman athletes. It is a parent’s job to imbue their child with values and not leave that up to athletes.

By: Manny Saltiel

Manny Saltiel — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:14:15 +0000

While I agree wholeheartedly that sports stars are not to be worshipped, the reality is that kids (and I dare say, to many adults) do learn from their favorite athletes. As such, it is imperative that someone yell at the little (OK, big) brat and tell him he needs to publically apologize for his childish, selfish reaction.