Celebrities are given a very high pedestal in our modern society. As individuals who have a powerful influence over the public, celebrities are held to a high standard when it comes to their decisions. But do celebrities always convey the best message?
Soccer is a worldwide sport that has a grasp on the entire world. Millions if not billions of kids look up to soccer athletes as idols and aspire to follow in their footsteps. As professional athletes, soccer players are held to a standard of health and help to radiate that through to their fans in the form of training and diet. However, some players have recently stepped out of line.
One such player is Jack Grealish. Winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, Grealish has plenty of accolades to be proud of and deserves to celebrate. After a season of hard work, Grealish decided to go on a month-long partying streak as he traveled the world. Plenty of videos and posts were released showing Grelish having the time of his life drinking and partying.
(Jack Grealish after winning the Champions League)
The question here is: did Grealish ever consider how his actions may influence his fans? With such a successful season, plenty of new young fans would have started following him as a role model. While Grealish may just believe that he is celebrating, he is actually promoting a lifestyle of drinking and partying to young fans. Many of these fans may see this as a norm in order to follow in a professional athlete’s footsteps, while it is definitely not.
Another athlete who promotes the use of alcohol to fans is Lionel Messi. As one of, if not the most, famous athletes in the world, Messi came out with a Super Bowl ad with Miller Light. While I am sure that Messi was paid millions for this advertisement, does he really need the money? Would his platform be of better use in promoting healthy living and not just selling out?
In Grealish’s case, his promotion of alcohol and an unhealthy lifestyle was indirect and not exactly intentional. However, in Messi’s case, his choice to be featured in the ad was clear. Messi decided to use his name as a means to promote an alcoholic beverage is quite surprising, and for one of the most famous people in the world, I think that we all expected better.
As time goes on, due to social media, more and more players are using their platforms to promote products as well as lifestyles directly and indirectly. It is just disappointing to see that so many soccer role models are not putting much thought into the consequences of their actions.
Thank you and have a wonderful day.
Hi Dan!
This topic that you raise is very interesting: should celebrities be looked up to as role models? Is that a role that they choose or something that “comes with the job” / is the price of fame? We have to remember that celebrities are just people — yes, they may have a large following but they cannot and should bot be scrutinized for their actions of being human. In Jack Grealish’s case, he had just won one of the most revered championships in soccer. If he wants to take a break and let loose, I think he is entitled to do so. Messi’s case is a bit more messy (pun intended). He is actively supporting a brand of alcohol when he certainly does not need the money. This can be open to getting side eyes because he has such a large impact of the younger generations.
Great job and fantastic topic!
This a very interesting conversation to have. I think that celebrities should be able to live their lives without having to worry about being criticized for their actions. In the case of Jack Grealish, I think it is up to the parents of the his fanbase to educate their kids on how to live their lives. Grealish should not have to worry about what his fanbase does in response to his social media posts. Additionally, he should be able to celebrate winning the Champions League without facing scrutiny.