Megs Gendreau, Centre College – Are Athletes Really That Special?

On Centre College Week: Why are we interested in the lives of athletes?

Megs Gendreau, associate professor of philosophy and environmental studies, explains why.

Megs Gendreau’s main research focuses on how we understand human selves and human values in the face of radical climate change, but she enjoys sports and periodically gets to write about them!

Are Athletes Really That Special?

It’s no secret that the public is interested in aspects of elite athletes’ lives that play no role in their athletic performance. While Charles Barkley famously claimed not to be a “role model”, children and adults still look to the habits and activities of elite athletes for guidance in their own lives. To quote another 90’s NBA Star, the goal isn’t simply to play basketball like Mike, but to be like Mike. But, why? The answer lies in the intimate relationship between the athlete and their achievements. This relationship has two dimensions. First, athletic achievement is embodied, linking the achievement quite inextricably to the physical person.

Second, and more importantly, athletes do not create an artifact with an independent existence of its own, as athletic achievement is in the doing and having done. While a person can watch a film and appreciate it independently of its creators, to appreciate athletic achievements simply is to appreciate the athletes themselves. While this link between the athlete and their accomplishments helps to explain why the public is so concerned with features of elite athletes’ lives that have little bearing on athletic performance, it may also generate a responsibility on the part of athletes to be good persons outside of sport.

Whether a musician is morally good may be irrelevant to whether someone enjoys their music, but the same cannot be said of athletes, whose achievements have no independent existence. At the same time, this may also create a corollary obligation on the part of fans. If engaging with athletic achievements in engaging with athletes themselves, fans ought to treat athletes not merely as entertainers, but to recognize and respect athletes as full persons.