Abstract
I argue that athletes should neither be taken as role models nor present themselves
as such. Indeed, they should resist any attempt to take them as such on the grounds that seeing
athletes (or other celebrities) as role models abrogates the existential and ethical responsibilities
of both parties. Whether one takes on the role of being a model to others or whether
one chooses to model one’s own behaviour on that of another, except in respect of the development
of technical skill, one engages in bad faith and fails to act in an existentially ethical
way. To this end, I consider the inclination to influence and admiration, as well as self-respect,
agency, motivation, and envy. I argue that while celebrity sportspersons and similar
others do not have duties that others do not have just by virtue of their notoriety alone, they
may have situational responsibilities commensurate with their social reach. More importantly,
however, since social influence is not a transformation of inert matter, there are also responsibilities
belonging to their audiences, those who merely observe and those who choose to imitate.