Athlete Case

In professional football, the high expectations that are set by the players and the teams can sometimes lead to decisions by players that are detrimental to all that are involved. The issues that can arise for the players on and off the field will determine what type of professional the player will be depending on the decisions that they make. One wrong decision could be devastating to a career while making all the right ones will insure that a player's career can be long and prosperous.

Mario is a professional football player that has had many opportunities to make decisions on several issues that he has come across a professional. In order to assume that Mario is a responsible athlete, you have to first understand that he has made some bad decisions that have put him into situations that one would perceive as being irresponsible. Intimidation, violence, ergogenic aids plus more are all issues that will be that will be discussed in the case study involving Mario.

Background

This case study identifies issues that involve Mario, a professional football player, and the problems that are associated with the decisions that he has made during his career. This analysis will focus on those main problems and how they affect his career as a professional football player.

The choices that Mario has made during his career all have not been bad choices as some of the issues that have come up involve the types of responsibility that comes along with being a professional athlete. The perks can be great for a professional athlete at times and the benefits that can be created for the player can boost their moral and likelihood that they will become a great role model. Unfortunately the common theme among a few athletes is that they use their fame in a negative way that hurts their image and gets them into trouble both on and off the field. When it comes to being a good sport, training hard to become a better player, and making all of the right decisions to help the player and the team, there will surely be some times that arise when the player must make that right choice.

Key Problems

In Mario's career as a football player there are certain guidelines and principles that he must be aware of and also know that although no one is perfect, he must try and except them and follow them according to how a professional football player should act. There are exceptions as well when it comes to certain times, but those situations are usually because the situation calls for it as long as it's a justified reason. The common principles for anyone are quite simple and justifiable in any situation. Do not be unfair, do not lie, cheat or steal, do not be irresponsible, and do not be uncivil are principles in which Mario in some way over his career has failed to acknowledge.

Intimidation

On the field Mario is a competitive football player who likes to show emotion when he makes a big play during the game. He celebrates by dancing on the field and pumps his fists in triumph right in front of his competitors. While football is an emotional sport, showing this type of behavior can show that you are a type of player that cares more about themselves instead of the team.

Violence

Football is a violent sport and injuries are a part of the game and some can even be of the serious nature. Mario's problem is that during games he has an issue with intentionally injuring opponents with late hits. It is one thing to play physical and accidentally hurt another player, but Mario even try and hurt a player even if they are not likely to be close to the ball. What is even worse about this situation is that this is the livelihood for these players and it would be unfortunate if Mario was to permanently injure someone and they were forced to retire.

Eligibility and Elimination

All teams have rules and regulations that all players and personal have to follow. It maintains professionalism and also sets the guidelines for which players are expected fully understand. Mario had an incident in which he violated the team rules. The incident was not specified, but either way the coach has a decision on whether or not he is going to play him or not. Not being able to follow simple team rules will have Mario possibly in a situation where he not only hurts himself by not being able to play in the game, but also his team because of his selfish act.

Commercialized Sport

This is not as much of a problem as the other issues because when you are a professional football player, betting benefits and having sponsors are part of the business. In the case of Mario he was offered free room and board to promote a local casino. This is not uncommon for professional athletes as they are often used a ways for businesses and organizations to bring attention to them. The part where it can become an issue is if they athlete is taken advantage of by those companies. Exploitation of athletes happens from time to time, but Mario is just using his status as a professional athlete to help out the casino.

Ergogenic Aids

This is the most damaging problem out of all of the issues that Mario has had in his career. The league has a very strict policy for using performance enhancing drugs of any kind and they frequently test players to make sure that they are complying with the rules. Unfortunately for Mario he tested positive for anabolic steroids. Knowing that taking steroids is a clear violation of league rules, the fact that he still took them shows the he clearly only though about himself and not the consequences that would occur if he got caught.

The punishment for taking steroids is always a suspension and also a fine. Mario has once again shown that he can't be trusted to be smart when it comes to making the right decisions as a professional football player. The fact that he though he needed to use steroids as a way to gain an advantage on the field. Steroids are also shown to be harmful to the health of the player as well. The side effects that are known to be caused by steroids

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