The celebrity of athletes: How athletes are marketing themselves off the field.

With more money and fame comes even more responsibility. The gauntlet runs from selfish to selfless and the latter of the two is in high demand. In this age of overpaid athletes, apparently a few of them didn't get the hint. Then again some had the concept or so we thought.; e.g. Tiger Woods. Athletes have always been more than willing to test the marketing waters by promoting a major company's or there own products giving it their own stamp of approval. Today most athletes are all about the money. It's true. Football players like Vincent Jackson of the San Diego Chargers have put themselves before their own teams by not playing until their contract is re-negotiated; at the peril of the entire team and franchise's season. It is this kind of selfishness that plagues the world of sports, although the selfishness in this case can also be attributed to the franchise not wanting to spend some extra money on one of their best players. However you look at it, there is an abundance of selfishness in sports today.

There are very few philanthropists left in the world of sports. The majority of athletes who give back to the people who support them or truly believe in sacrifice are those who come from a humble background. Dikembe Mutombo an ex- NBA star and defensive legend has repeatedly given back to his community  in the Republic of Congo. He has built schools and even a hospital that offers the same technology one would have at a medical facility here. This is indicative that he never has forgotten where he came from and the people who look up to him( I mean literally look up, he's 7'3"). We need more role models like Dikembe in sports. Athletes have the power to positively affect and change the lives of so many people- a gift that is underrated and sparingly used.

And then you have the crazies. Athletes like ex- New York Giants Reciever Plaxico Burress who carry guns around like wannabe gangsters who need "protection" from others. Burress ended up shooting himself in the leg and losing his career. Another example is Gilbert Arenas a shooting guard for the Washington Wizards. The Wizards gave Arenas a HUGE contract extension a few years back and he has played on average about 10 games out of the 82 that make up an NBA season. Then to add "insult to injury", he decides to play a prank on a teammate on his birthday involving a gun. Smart? Nope. Arenas was suspended the rest of the season without pay. These are the exact people you wouldn't want living next door to you and they are playing professionally in sports where millions of young people can absorb this unhealthy behavior.

Sometimes these athletes learn from their past trangressions. Sometimes they don't. O.J. Simpson is a prime example of NOT LEARNING. Growing up in the late eighties/early nineties as a child, I remember O.J. for his trial. Not the fact that he won a heisman while playing at the University of Southern California or the amazing NFL running back for the Buffalo Bills. This man got off of a pretty cut and dry murder charge on a technicality-a glove. A GLOVE saved him from spending the rest of his life in jail. I can still remember his lawyer Johnny Cochran's famous words "If the crime does not fit, you must equit." You would think someone who had been through that experience would have lived the rest of their life like a saint! But then again, athletes are always the exception. Simpson ended up being busted for an armed robbery of a guy who was selling HIS sports memorabilia. Absolutely idiotic. But there is always a story of redemption waiting to be written. Michael Vick, an NFL quarterback was busted for a dog-fighting ring being held at his house. He plead guilty and accepted his fate. He served a year in jail and was able to be picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles. He never blamed anyone but himself for his own actions and has been a model athlete since his return. He's also become one of the best quarterbacks in the league up until this point. His story will be told long after he's gone-even if he never wins a Super Bowl.