Children, teenagers, and adults alike often look to athletes for a source of inspiration as well as entertainment. But in recent years our athletes have become less of an inspiration and more so a source of shame and disgust. Whether it’s for publicity or simply a bad life choice, athletes are continuously taking the focus off of their athletic abilities and putting it onto the scandals of their personal life.

Athletes are being paid millions of dollars for a few months out of every year to play a game they have been playing since most likely before high school, but now they do it on TV. Although a large majority of people support and respect athletics, and understand the commitment the athletes give; nowadays professional athletes are taking over the media not with their athletic skills but more so with the scandals within their personal lives.

Over the past few months news stories have surrounded college football player Manti Te’o for a hoax involving the death of a fake girlfriend. Manti Te’o was in line to be the next Heisman trophy winner. However, media coverage involving his name no longer is about his skills as a football player, but about the lies that surround his personal life.

It’s not just professional football that athletes are going amiss.  Oscar Pistorius is a gold medal Olympic runner who was charged with murdering his girlfriend in February. Pistorius story had captured the world’s attention at the 2013 Olympics because he is a double leg amputee. In his Olympic events Pistorius competed against able bodied runners, yet still managed to beat them. Pistorius is no longer idolized for his athletic ability and overcoming adversity. He is now labeled in the media as a murder which is something that no one is going to idolize.

Arguably one of the best pro golfers of this lifetime was caught in a cheating scandal that still haunts him to this day. Tiger Woods impressed even those who don’t pay attention to golf with his natural born talent. However, when he was publicly caught in one of the biggest cheating scandals his career took a turn for the worst, and Woods and his skill disappeared from the golf world.

According to Natalie Muster of thestylus.net, “Athletes are only humans, and humans make mistakes. Those mistakes are going to be both big and small. But if you’re a pro athlete, your mistakes will be magnified. Life is tough. No matter who we are, it will throw hard balls, twists and turns our way. Whether we are seen as just an average joe or a superhuman athlete, we all must learn to deal with it.”

As new athletes gain fame in today’s society we have to ask ourselves what is important? Should we focus more on the athlete who is struggling with drugs, lying, and other scandals? Or is it more important to bring fame to our everyday heroes such as fire fighters, soldiers, police officers and other unsung heroes? A lot of children find a hero in athletes at a young age, but where do we draw the line between impressive athlete and burned out celebrity?