Should fighters be looked at as role models?

A lot of kids grow up watching sports, and many of those kids choose a favorite athlete in the sports they watch. I had a Mario Lemieux poster on my wall growing up, my friends had posters of Michael Jordan, Emmitt Smith, John Elway and countless others on theirs. They seemed larger than life and for myself and my friends, those athletes were who we wanted to be growing up.

With that fame, there seemingly comes a level of responsibility as an athlete. If you know that kids are looking up to you, then it only makes sense that you should behave in a way that makes you worthy of being looked up to.

But is that fair? And if it is fair, how far does it extend? Do we limit it to "mainstream" athletes? Those in the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, etc? What about MMA fighters? Does it extend to them?

This comes to mind recently because of the actions, both inside and outside of the cage, of one of the sports most popular fighters.

Jon "Bones" Jones may be the greatest combat athlete the world has ever seen. Since his UFC debut in 2008, Jones has torn through the UFC light heavyweight division in brutal fashion. The lone blemish on his 23-1 record is a disqualification in 2009. Other than that, his list of opponents is a who's who of MMA legends and top contenders.

It all came off the rails in April of 2015 when Jones was involved in a hit and run with a pregnant woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jones was stripped of his title and suspended for six months. He would return to action in April of 2016, defeating Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197. Everything looked to be back on track for Jones until he was again stripped of his title and suspended for a year after a USADA (US Anti Doping Agency) violation. His latest return took place at UFC 214 where he would defeat Daniel Cormier to recapture his UFC light heavyweight title. Again, everything looked to be back in Jones favor. However, he tested positive again from a drug test right before the fight and is now facing suspension again.

Should we have expected Jones to be a role model?

If so then he's obviously failed in that role.

But why should we look to athletes in a sport where the main objective is to render your opponent unconscious to be role models?

I would argue that if you're watching MMA in hopes of finding a role model then you're watching for the wrong reasons. While there are plenty of honorable and admirable fighters out there, it's not exactly a civilized sport.

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