In Sports, How Much Does Character Count?
by Thomas Jeffries on 06/26/2008 at 4:39 PM
Perhaps I've spoken too much about sports already, but the NBA draft is tonight, and I just can't resist. Through the fortunate bounce of some numbered ping pong balls, the Chicago Bulls won last month's draft lottery and will thus have the first pick of the night.
Until recently, Michael Beasley of Kansas State was the consensus number one choice of most hoops experts. He's big, athletic and is a great scorer and rebounder. In fact, he was a dominating power forward as a college freshman, the likes of which hasn't been seen in years. Yet in the past few weeks, Derrick Rose of Memphis has jumped ahead of Beasley in almost everyone's mock draft. So what happened? Well, in addition to some inspired play from Rose in the NCAA tournament, the truth is that Beasley has suffered from what pro scouts describe as "character issues." They question Beasley's focus, his maturity and his tendency to gravitate toward trouble -- especially during his high school days, from which he is barely a year removed.
Thus the inevitable question: How important is character in sports? Should teams simply draft the best player available to them, or is it more important to look at citizenship first and ability second? It's a dilemma for many teams, as we all know plenty of questionable characters who've led their teams to victory. When it comes to sports, nice guys don't always finish first.
NBA general managers don't get paid to fill their rosters with nice guys; they get paid to fill their rosters with winners. But as the Portland Trailblazers and the Indiana Pacers have learned the hard way in recent years -- thanks to off-court troubles with several of their players -- sometimes talent alone isn't the most important factor when building a team.
So, when does an athlete's "baggage" start to outweigh their value to the team?
1. LauraW said the following at 7:30 PM on Jun 26:
IMHO, the "value" of the team is solely a function of the team's skill, effort, and athletic ability. I don't think it's practical, necessary, or otherwise obligatory for us (the general public) to consider the character of the players in order to endorse the team. (Coaches/managers will have to consider hiring people they can stand to be around... and people who will stay out of trouble long enough to play the game, instead of spending the night in jail.)
That being said, when considering the individual, we should be concerned about his/her character. Individuals need character. Sports teams need to display sportsmanlike behavior, but they don't need to conform to a moral code in order to be good athletes. I respect lots of athletes (for their athletic abilities) while having little affinity for their take on morality.
I guess I'm really tired of the media picking on the personal lives of athletes. I can understand it in politics - those people make decisions that affect others, and their character is important to the general public. But athletes don't make those calls. And "the children look up to athletes" is only true if you make it true in your child's life. My parents didn't instill that in me; I don't intend to instill it in my children.
2. whs said the following at 7:59 PM on Jun 26:
General managers don't get paid to "fill their rosters with winners" but to attract income generators. If off court antics do not hurt ticket/merchandice sales then they are overlooked.
A GMs concern with Beasley will be if his inconsistency affects his game and income producing potential.
3. Trevvor said the following at 8:27 PM on Jun 26:
Once athletes in the professional leagues--be it NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, etc.--start abusing their position of power and influence as a celebrity, their "value" to their team begins to decline.
Being part of a team means supporting and encouraging one's teammates, leading by example. Trouble-making, or trouble-finding, are not desirable attributes to have in an athlete that will truly be a team-player.
4. obewan said the following at 9:11 AM on Jun 27:
How can we expect someone to have character when we pay him or her $6-8 million a year or even more just to play a stupid game? If they had to have a real job and work for a living instead, maybe our athletes would have a different character makeup. We should have it like the Olympics - no pro athletes, just amateurs who are expected to hold a regular job. Then sports could be just for fun.
5. Tami said the following at 9:52 AM on Jun 27:
Echoing what Trevvor wrote...
I think character is a huge issue. Not that teams shouldn't look for the best players they can find -- but sometimes the best player won't be the one seeking his (or her) own personal success at any cost; it'll be the person who shows dedication to the task while maintaining the attitude that the highest success is won when all parties work together.
In other words, if you're looking for a person for your team, you should at least be considering that the person wants to be a part of a *team* and not just using the team as a backdrop for showing off his or her own skill.
6. myc said the following at 9:54 AM on Jun 27:
sort of a pet peeve of mine when people say athletes get paid millions just to play a "stupid game". they are paid millions to travel constantly, keep their bodies in world-class shape, and leverage and maintain skills to win.
granted, there are players that treat it like a "game", and those players don't last long. but on the flip side, there are players that are extremely professional and treat their job seriously, with great character.
7. kyle. said the following at 10:03 AM on Jun 27:
good points, but the main reason that rose jumped beasley was the fact that chicago won the lottery and rose is a chicago kid.
8. Louise said the following at 1:18 PM on Jun 27:
My opinion is that "character should count" only to the extent that said character traits directly influence the ability of the player to assist the team in winning games.
I personally feel that re the issue of my own "character and moral code" I am only accountable to work management to the extent that these traits affect my ability to achieve good work attendance and satisfactorily perform the job.
Re whether athletes are "worth" the multi-million dollar contracts, that is another issue and a rather complex one.
9. Justice said the following at 5:34 PM on Jun 28:
Mayo and Rose have long been considered the top two, what are you smoking? Rose also was not jumped because he is a Chicago kid. Most NBA players jump to -34 teams before they retire, that's an old school mentality.
10. Christina (in green) said the following at 12:46 PM on Jul 1:
Obewan (#4),
Though I can not justify $6-8 million in income among the average athletes out there, I've learned rather quickly that it TAKES character to become a good athlete.
My brother has dreamed of nothing but baseball since he was 4 years old. He's 19 in 1 month, looking at a potential professional career in baseball.
In the last 15 years, he has trained, practiced, worked out, moderated his diet, worked out more, trained more, played games, practiced...
In the last 15 years, my brother has put into this game all that he had, probably putting in the same amount of time (if not more) you put into your job. However, to sit at a desk isn't nearly as costly as paying for hitting coaches, physical therapists when you fracture your knee cap a year before you're hoping to get drafted, team enrollments, travel to games all over the US and world, uniforms, camps, etc that have made up the last 15 years of his life. He and my parents have put a LOT of money into this dream of his. And I respect him for the kind of dedication he puts into that that is a lot more than I put into my school work.
Do I think that's worth $6-8 million? No. But I definitly think he's deserving of more money than I'm making after how much more effort he's put into his dream job than I have.
I'd ask that you give them a bit more respect than you are giving them. You don't know the work and time and effort that comes with being drafted by any pro-team.
Now - to the actual question, I think character should be important in choosing a player, but I don't think the character traits that are important to Christians should necessarily be important to coaches and draft pickers.
You want someone dedicated to the game and the team. Not someone who's out there for their own personal gain.
There are certain decisions that have consequences: from drinking excessively to sleeping around. Many decisions that are made based on character that can have an affect on how that player plays the game.