Normally I write a new post on a Wednesday but after Carlos Tevez's behaviour on Tuesday night I knew exactly what the topic for my post would be and therefore wanted to leave it another day to let all parties involved get their views across.
Going by Tevez's behaviour on Tuesday night, from the way it looked at the time in this video, you would not blame anyone for thinking he is a spoilt brat. Like a baby spitting its dummy,Tevez decided he didn't want to go on because he hadn't started the match.
Tevez denied refusing to play but as a result Man City have now suspended him from training and matches for 2 weeks and manager Roberto Mancini says he will never play for him again. There are many other recent examples too like Serena Williams outburst at the US Open below which resulted in a minor fine of $2,000 (minor to Serena anyway).
There are other examples from older times as well with John McEnroe and Paul Gascoigne being perfect examples.
One of the first points to come from this type of behaviour is the huge salaries these stars are getting. In society we are very quick to state that once a celebrity or sport star behaves out of line or incorrectly its because they have too much money and think they can do anything. We judge this behaviour so harshly because most of us will never see the type of money they get and in frustration we blame it on this.
Another reason people discuss is ego. Some of the players have a massive ego and are waited on hand and foot by sponsors, helpers, staff etc and as a result they think they are untouchable and behave in an inappropriate manner.
On the other side of the coin and sticking up for sports stars is human frailty. These people are not perfect and like everyone else will make mistakes especially due to the huge pressure they are under from fans, clubs and so forth. The only problem is that as they are in the spotlight all the time their mistakes are blown out of proportion and scrutinized in the media. I do believe the media does not help these situations at all and in fact just adds fuel to the fire.
Another reason they can't get away with it is because whether they want to be or not sports stars are role models and have a duty to act appropriately when conducting themselves on and off the field. They have a duty to their fans who in essence help pay their wages. We do not expect them to live like monks, as Arshavin put it, but they should not behave in anyway that fuels this argument despite the celebrity status pressure they face on a daily basis.
People also discuss that sports stars are just a reflection of the society we now live in. When you talk to older generation's they do highlight that young ones today are spoilt brats who do not know how good they get it (ain't that right Grandma!!!). So to a lesser extent we probably behave in ways that can be seen as spoilt brat behaviour by others and just don't realise it. I know and am ashamed to admit that some of my on the field conduct would be heavily scrutinized by the media as spoilt bratish as would my off the field behaviour (the less said about this the better!!!).
In my opinion there are some sports stars who behave like spoilt brats either due to ego, money, temperament or situational factors at the time. Some of these are repeat offenders and get a bad boy/girl image in their sports which then as a result they have to keep up like John McEnroe. I do believe the punishments these stars get are not harsh enough hence why some of them become repeat offenders. A punishment is meant to deter people from behaving he same way but when it is a small fine or suspension these players don't mind incurring that.
However I think there are more examples of sports stars who are well behaved. One perfect example is Paul Scholes who was never in the media for the wrong reasons and just kept his head down and played away. Athletes like Jessica Ennis and Usain Bolt are other examples and there are loads more in all types of sports.
In conclusion I believe that like in society there are some sports stars who are spoilt brats and others who aren't. I think that there are more sports stars who aren't but because the media focuses on those who are we in society have a tendency to paint all sports stars with the one brush. If the media would highlight good behaviour more we may actually see a decline in this type of spoilt brat behaviour as good behaviour would become the norm for sports stars. So to the media - please change your focus and highlight the good not the bad and the ugly!!!
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