Do Sportspeople Need To Check Their Attitudes?

Rising tennis icon Nick Kyrgios has spent a lot of time in the newspapers lately for his "cocky" and "immature" behavior.

This has drawn many comments from the broader Australian community regarding the value of sportsmanship. Should Aussie players be exhibiting better behaviour, or should we accept them as human beings with faults?

Australia has a great love of sport and it is key to our identity. Evidence of how integral sport is to our culture can be found when viewing the list of Australian of the Year recipients (fourteen players from a range of sports have been awarded the honour).

This love of sports inspires devoted fans as well as harsh critics. On field and off, the lives of sports stars feature nightly on the news, whether it affects the game or not.

As these stars excel in their chosen field, they often inspire children nationwide to follow their lead. As role models of the community, it's expected they uphold a higher standard of behavior. Each player should be contributing positively in an environment that values sports so highly.

Sport stars, no matter how skilled, however, are still human beings with all the faults and flaws to show for it. In the circumstance of Nick Kyrgios, many media outlets have criticized the 20-year-old for being a poor role model. Yet, his rapid rise to fame on the world stage for his extraordinary tennis acumen did not include a user's manual to public scrutiny and becoming a role model.

Sports players don't enter the game to become upstanding citizens or to lead the next generation, but rather for a love of the game. Overall, sportspeople may have a duty when representing their country to strive to be their best but it is beyond reasonable to expect there won't be high tempers. It requires great dedication and drive to excel as these players do, which can be reflected in their personalities both positively and negatively. They show great focus for their goals which can sometimes let professionalism fall by the wayside.

A sportsperson should strive to behave in a manner which positively represents their country but it is the responsibility of each Australian to support a player's achievements and to resist ostracising the player following a fall from grace, so they may learn and grow.

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