Change My Mind: Charles Barkley IS A Role Model

Today’s question from WordPress’ Daily Writing Prompt has a “slam dunk” answer.

Daily writing prompt
Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.
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I’ve been a Charles Barkley fan ever since I saw him on the hardwood at Auburn University in the early 1980s. Here was a relatively short guy (for basketball standards) who was also decidedly overweight by any scale.

If your list of nicknames is mostly “fat jokes,” you might have a weight problem

But he was also the best player on the floor.

That continued throughout his 16-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Barkley was a dominant professional player; he’s one of only five players to amass 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 4,000 assists.

But he was also a drinker, gambler, and philanderer.

That’s why I loved it back in the day when Barkley took exception to being called a role model by default simply because he was a star athlete.

Those words pissed off a lot of people, but Barkley was absolutely right. He also refused to back down from his statement. Barkley has done a lot of things you probably don’t want your kids “looking up to,” but he also doesn’t hide them. His “here I am, warts and all” approach has always been a well-spring of reality, and continues to be in today’s packaged, illusory social media world.

Ironically, it’s what disqualifies Barkley from being a role model to children which makes him a role model to me. Is it because I’m also a fat guy who likes to drink and gamble? (sorry, Chuck…you’re on your on the hooker thing) It’s all about three things: being honest, standing up for what you believe, and owning your fuck-ups.

Charles Barkley is a lot of things, some good and some not so much. But he’s no hypocrite.

Change my mind.

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One thought on “Change My Mind: Charles Barkley IS A Role Model”

  1. Well said as always, sir. Couldn’t agree more.

    While every other broadcaster in history has served as fluffer for their own network programming, Chuck was the first announcer I ever heard tell the viewing audience, when TNT was showing a blowout dud of a game, that there was no need to watch.

    In addition to everything you mentioned above, Barkley said it was no deal if the cast of Inside the NBA didn’t bring their entire crew to ESPN.

    That’s some stand up shit.

    Like

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