What is an athlete? By definition, an athlete is a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports or games requiring physical strength, agility or stamina. In the most literal sense, this definition is correct, but it only scratches the surface of an athlete’s true identity in the 21st century.
For decades, athletes were seen as nothing more than those playing sports at the highest level. They entertained us and even amazed and inspired us, but once the clock hit zero and the final whistle blew, they disappeared from our lives only to reappear in their next contest.
This dynamic created a rift between athletes and their communities. To many, it felt as if the two groups were part of different worlds. Athletes were strictly defined by their statistics and accolades. Nothing more.
But the rise of technology and social media has broken down a wall. Athletes’ lives off the field or court are no longer a complete mystery and are at the tip of our fingers. In many ways, this has benefited both the fans and athletes. Fans are more connected with their favorite teams and players than ever before, which has led to greater engagement in sporting events.
However, with more power comes more responsibility. Whereas athletes were previously judged strictly by their athletic performance, there is now greater pressure on them to be role models for the next generation, and with greater media coverage, nothing any public figure says or does goes unnoticed.
This has forced athletes to look inward and be cognizant of what they do and how it might be perceived by others. Today, athletes are more intertwined with their communities than ever before. From charity work to meet-and-greets, it isn’t hard to find examples of this.
Athletes are some of the most influential people on the planet. The two most followed people on Instagram, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are athletes. Eight of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2022 were athletes, and of the ten most viewed television broadcasts in American history, nine are sporting events. While the dictionary definition of an athlete hasn’t changed over the years, their societal presence has.
Many years from now, when people are discussing LeBron James’ legacy, they will likely bring up his championships, MVP awards, points scored and all of his most iconic moments, but it would be hard to have an entire discussion on him without acknowledging the lives he impacted off of the court by founding a school dedicated to helping underprivileged children get their lives back on track. The same can be said for so many others, such as Roger Federer, J.J. Watt, Serena Williams and many others.
