respect for authority, learning life skills dwindling

The actions of a few of our top sports celebrities last week had us wondering what ever happened to the word respect. Top athletes especially should realize the impact they have on impressionable young people.

Like all superstars, Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals, arguably the best young player in baseball, has a competitive nature second to none, but sometimes that inner fire causes him to cross the line. Last week in a game against Detroit, which ironically was Bryce Harper MVP bobblehead night at Nationals Park, Harper was ejected by plate umpire Brian Knight after a teammate was called out on strikes. When someone is tossed from a game in the majors, he is required to leave the dugout.

Minutes later, Harper's teammate Clint Robinson hit a game-ending home run to give Washington the win. Harper did run onto the field, but instead of rejoicing with his teammates, he pointed toward the umpire and cursed at him.

What should have been a time of celebration with teammates turned into a selfish and demeaning act by Harper who showed his rage at the umpire.

Harper said the only person he was "pretty upset" that saw the video was his mom. After the game, he texted her that he was sorry after the game.

"You live and you learn," he told a reporter. "Nothing I can do."

Actually, one thing he can do is find a way to channel his inner rage and harness those emotions. With camera phones all around, superstar athletes should realize that every move, tirade and expletive is open for the public to see and the media to scrutinize.

Another star athlete who failed miserably on our respect meter was Dwyane Wade. Before tip-off in Miami's playoff game against the Toronto Raptors, Wade continued to shoot warm-up baskets while the rest of his teammates stood for the Canadian national anthem being sung by a young girl.

The NBA rule book states that "players, coaches and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the national anthem."

Wade defended his action by explaining that he wasn't given proper warm-up time, which is his pregame routine. He later apologized to Canadians if they thought he was disrespecting them as a country.

Many athletes and entertainers can handle their stardom and make their fan bases proud. I usually won't cite Hollywood entertainers for life lessons, but once in a while we can find one who has sound advice. I recently heard actor/producer/director John Ratzenberger speak about the American work ethic and how we desperately need to return to being self-reliant.

Ratzenberger, who reached star status as the mail carrier in the sitcom "Cheers," reminisced on the days when people worked with their hands to make manufacturing the backbone of our country. Back in the day, every kid had a skill and knew how to fix a screen door or change a spark plug.

He said our schools failed when they de-emphasized classes that teach self-reliance, like shop and home ec. The social engineering began 30 years ago when everybody was being urged to go to college and practical skills were devalued or ignored.

Building self-reliant skills also allows us not to rely on the government for everything.

Ratzenberger said he went to college but it didn't stop him from being a carpenter. Today, he describes himself as "a college graduate with a degree who knows how to build his own house."

Celebrity role models could help society's slide away from self-reliance. Ratzenberger said if we can just get Justin Bieber to say how cool it is to be a carpenter or plumber or get Taylor Swift to sing a song about how she loves guys who can fix things, it could go a long way in solving the problem.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com