“I am not a role model. I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court. Parents should be role models. Just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.”
Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley stirred controversy when his 1993 Nike commercial said athletes shouldn’t be held up as role models. He’s never shied away from speaking his mind. In a 2019 interview, Barkley told Dr. Phil about adjusting to the NBA as a rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers. He wanted people to like him, so he talked about how lucky and blessed he was, and he thanked God for the opportunity to play basketball. “The Sixers called me in the next day,” he said, “like ‘Hey, we don’t want you talking about God on TV anymore… we got a bunch of calls from some agnostics and some atheists.” Barkley learned regardless of what he said, half the people would like it and the other half wouldn’t. “So, I made up my mind… I’ve got to be able to look myself in the mirror – and that don’t mean I’m right all the time – but I’m going to speak my truth and my rightness.”
Barkley approached Nike in 1989 about making the commercial about role models. When he spoke at predominately white schools, he noticed only a few kids would say they wanted to be professional athletes. Most wanted to be doctors, lawyers, a firefighter or policeman, teacher, or engineer. But in predominately black schools, nearly 100 percent of the kids said they wanted to play sports or be in the NBA. Barkley wanted to start the discussion and Nike finally agreed. “Athletes are role models,” he explains, “but I don’t want young black kids thinking they can’t do things other than play sports and be entertainers, so I kind of got my point across.”
Proverbs is all about role models. As I re-read it, I realized it was the first time I’ve read it in its entirety since becoming a father. Before, I approached it as the son being exhorted to look to God and my parents. Now, I think about what kind of role model I’ve been to my kids. I don’t feel I’ve done a bad job, yet I’m immediately thankful the kids also have Wendy as a role model. Like Barkley, we’ve encouraged our children to not limit themselves to what others think they are capable of, and it’s been a pleasure to watch them grow into the people we wanted them to be.
As you read Proverbs, I encourage you to reflect on how you can be a role model to others.
Chris Lambert, Director Meals on Wheels OKC
