Myths and Heroes : are sports champions true heroes?

I am going to talk about the notion of Myths and Heroes. First of all, I would like to give a definition of this notion: A myth can be defined as a story about gods or heroes, it can be a popular belief or a tradition or a false notion. A hero can be a mythological figure, a person who is admired for his or her achievements, a superhero or maybe a role model or an icon.

In class we studied documents about this notion, in particular about sports champions. In order to illustrate this notion, I have chosen to talk about different athletes and their careers in order to attempt to answer the question: “Are sports champions true heroes?”

First of all, what is expected from an athlete for him/her to be called a here? Which qualities are necessary? I think an athlete must be ambitious, brave and determined to be a hero because all these qualities are necessary to be a model for everyone. That’s why doped athletes are so despised because they’re cheating, they don’t respect the value of sport and they tarnish the reputation of top athletes.

Let’s talk about a true hero; Aimee Mullins nicknamed “Wonder Woman”.                   Aimee Mullins is an American, child of an immigrant father from Ireland. She was amputated very early, when she was one year old because of an illness. Nevertheless, even though she lost both her legs, she started a career in sports as a sprinter and later became a model and actress. In the true definition of a hero, Aimee Mullins fits that description. Actually, she didn’t leave her dreams in spite of his disability, she could face up this difference and she became a model for many people.

However, some athletes do not hesitate to cheat, even if it means destroying their career and their reputation, for example, the cyclist Lance Armstrong or the sprinter Tyson Gay.

Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven times, he took performance-enhancing drugs and he lied about his health. It’s really outrageous because he cheated and he stole many medals. Lance is a shame for cycling, it is because of persons as him that cycling is too often linked to dope. In class, we studied a cartoon which represents Lance Armstrong on his bike, the bikes spokes are represented as syringe, so the cartoonist wants to denounce the use of drugs to help athletes’ performances. The champion looks careless and smug because he knows that thanks to dope, he’s certain to win.

Tyson Gay is a specialist of the 100 and 200 metres sprint, he is the best second worldwide sprinter of 100 metres behind Usain Bolt. Nonetheless, in 2013, Adidas suspended Tyson Gay’s sponsorship because he is tested positive at a drug test. I can really understand the reaction of the company. The must be tired of sports stars turning to performance-boosting substances. The should sue him! Gay should be ban for life. Sport should be clean; even if it’s a matter of money, athletes still are role models for young people. As far I’m concerned, the solution is zero tolerance and there should be strict anti-doping measures. It’s not fair for the honest athletes who train hard and are not selected to go to the Olympic Games for instance. Moreover, some cheats are never caught. I don’t agree with the people who think that so many sports stars use drugs it is simply better to allow anyone to use anything. Athletes should have more dignity and train and fight like Aimee Mullins for example. Let’s be adamant and keep sport clean!

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