>>It is not life and death.
For many young athletes the lessons learned on the playing field reverberate in exactly that.
Whether you want to deal with the fact is irrelevant. Professional athletes ARE what many young folks have as role models because those individuals on the screen are the models of success they’re exposed to and/or want to relate to — and that is who will try to emulate sans other constructive influences.
It is the lack of family structure and a civili society that drives young people to value ‘stardom’ over merit