Athletes and the American Hero DilemmaDo American youths have heroes? Has the seeming loss of American society's shared values turned heroes into shallow celebrities? Or does the popularity of sport figures prove that heroes are viable? This text examines both sides of the debate. It asks questions such as: which societal institutions are sources of hero choices for youths?; how do gender, race and age affect hero choices?; what are the characteristics of heroes?; and do athletic heroes still exist? |
Contents
Gender Race and Grade Comparisons | 41 |
Youths Characterizations of Heroic Athletes | 66 |
Toward Resolution of the Dilemma | 103 |
Copyright | |
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American society antiheroes athletes and entertainers athletic hero choices athletic talent Billie Jean King black and white black athletes black heroes black youths boys Burt Reynolds CALIFORNIA/SANTA CRUZ celebrity shallowness Chalip characters compartmentalized appeal conceptions concerning considered CRUZ The University Csikszentmihalyi and Lyons differences emphasis evidence existence of athletic famous athletic heroes famous heroes favorite flawed complexity focus Frequency of comments frequency of heroes gender girls grade levels Greensboro study Greensboro youths groups hero characterizations heroes Frequency identified included interview James Worthy Joe Namath Julius Erving Klapp known athletic heroes MacAloon male mass media military leaders Miller Brewing Company Muhammad Ali negative characteristics nonfamous O.J. Simpson optimists overall personal competence personally known athletic pessimists players political or military proportion public figures race racial Reggie Jackson social supportiveness suggests television Tony Dorsett total number traditional heroism traditionally heroic Vander Velden well-known athletes white heroes white youths young people's