The celebrity of the athlete has grown enormously since I was a young boy.Today the athlete is everywhere promoting everything from auto insurance to the local zoo. When I was growing up, one of the first commercials was Joe Namath wearing a pair of Leggs Panty Hose. At that time it was a controversial ad. Nowadays it would get lost in the mix. We have products that we never thought would be advertised on television, like erectile disfunction medication, and yes, there are celebrity athletic endorsers for that. Before there was only television to get your face or the product you endorse out there. Now Facebook, Twitter, instant messaging, and digital media in general has been able to put a message and face out there almost instantly. This is an advantage for the athlete endorser and can add millions of dollars to their bank account. But as we all are aware of, the ability for you to be seen in a negative light has instantaneous ramifications also. If you mistreat a waiter or car valet, you can be taped by a cell phone and your image can crash and burn as fast as you rose to popularity. The ability to get your image and a product you have been paid to use or endorse shows future generations of athletic spokesmen or women that you can broaden your image and audience. It's beneficial in other ways because the product or service you are endorsing can make you seem like an average guy, not an untouchable or out of touch celebrity. I do not think that the celebrity aspect of their lives interfere with the game. Some celebrities have become much more famous in their advertising career after their stint as a professional athlete. For instance, Magic Johnson is a Hall of Fame basketball player but alot of people recognized him as the face of h.i.v/aids campaign after he made public his positive diagnosis to the disease. I,  under very few circumstances, do not use or view athletes as role models for my son. He can look up to them for the way to pattern his intensity and work ethic to prepare or approach their specific sport, but not as a role model. Role models in my eyes are reserved for teachers or someone in the community that has a positive image and contributes to real life on a day to day basis.