This week, the performing arts department is having a big week. They have two events going on, Comedysportz, and the event which every girl in the school is looking forward to, Mr. Carmel pageant.

Now, for those who don’t know what Mr. Carmel is, Mr. Carmel is a pageant that is taking place on Friday in the auditorium. The pageant will feature 10 Carmel High School boys, with a winner getting crowned at the end.

Now, you may be wondering, “What does a Performing Arts Show have to do with sports?” Actually, a lot. I have actually seen a sneak preview of all 10 men, and nearly all of them have played intramurals or otherwise participated in interschool competition. And I think with the show being tomorrow, it is time to ask a big question that continues to occur: “Are high school athletes good role models for the school?”

There are two versions of my answer: A long one and a short one. I’ll give both, starting with the short one.

My short answer: NO!

My long answer: No, and here’s why. While athletes represent the school and while they are the ones privileged to be on the field/court/whatever, most of us only see what they do on said field/court/whatever. We don’t know what their qualities are inside. Case of point: Almost every year following Homecoming, my football team has a meeting and it’s always the same speech: Several athletes went out and drank alcohol, got caught and now they serve a suspension. It’s literally the same speech every year.

And even if students aren’t drinking, there is another reason we should never look at athletes as role models: student-athletes schedules. Student-athletes lead a very busy life, in fact, I’ll let this transcript of an interview with Richard Sherman before Super Bowl 49 describe a student-athlete’s schedule. Here’s the transcript:

Question from journalist: “What’s a typical student-athlete’s schedule in college and/or high school?”

Sherman: “Glad you asked, good sir. During a typical day, you start with class, then after class, then you try to grab a quick bite to eat. After your quick bite to eat, you go to meetings, then you go to practice, and then after all that, you go back home/to your dorm and try to do all the work that you have to accomplish for class the next day. In fact, let me just say this: I challenge all high school and college students to go on a student-athletes schedule for just one quarter or one semester, and see how well you manage it.”

Sherman said it better than I could. Because of a student-athlete’s time, they may not get time to hang out with friends or even do the things a normal student can do. And that’s not the only danger. Athlete’s GPA’s are historically lower than their non-athlete peers, so do we really look up to these kids as role models?

Because of that, and the earlier reason mentioned, I don’t think athletes are good role models, and this is why Mr. Carmel is setting a very dangerous precedent. I urge the people organizing this event next year to not give preference to athletes, because even if athletes are worthy competitors in pageants, there are other equally worthy competitors who may be left out because of their non-athletic status.

And by the way, Michael Viktrup, can my father have his guitar back?