A great article in the international/on-line edition of Newsweek magazine (as found on msnbc.com) was written on Hines Ward, and his Korean heritage. The article relates how Ward is going to travel to Korea to learn more about his heritage, and of the countryland of his mother. He speaks that he is looking forward to it, and yet at the end the author included the information that some people are upset with Ward for "not doing enough." And therein lies the question - do high-profile athletes like Hines Ward or Tiger Woods have a "social responsibility" to attempt to increase awareness of their individual heritage? Woods, like Ward, has a mixture of African-American and Asian blood in him. He is revered as one of golf's greatest all time golfers; without a doubt he's the current best in the world. But he has been dogged by criticism over his career regarding his perceived "lack" of action or words on social issues. Somehow, for both Ward and Woods, their high-profile status seems to indicate to some that they have a duty - a social and moral responsibility - to actually do "something good." Why? Why should I listen to Woods or Ward if I wanted to learn about Thailand or Korea? What impact do these athletes have on my day to day life? The problem with this country's tendency to hero-worship its sports idols is that they then seem to think that just because the athlete is good at what he or she does, that the athlete then has a responsibility to live to a higher standard than others. Tiger Woods, in my opinion, has absolutely no responsibility to do anything other than play golf and be good at it. If he *wants* to lend his name or speak on behalf of something, then that is his right. But it is not his duty. No matter how many people insist that he has a duty because of his profile, to them I say that the primary people responsible for teaching and guiding learning are parents and teachers - most definitely not athletes. If we followed athletes example, some of us would get it into our head that we're vastly underpaid and will make a media circus unless our demands are met. I don't know about your life, but if I pulled that kind of stunt I daresay I'd be at the unemployment line the next day, attempting to explain to the nice government bureaucrat why I was so stupid to kill a good thing all because I thought I was not getting the proper respect and financial rewards to go with it. I find it irritating that some people continue to insist that high-profile athletes should get up on a stump and tell the rest of us what we should or should not be doing. Okay, so while I might listen to Duante Culpepper explain how to set up a "love boat" cruise, I sure as hell wouldn't listen to him on anything else. Nor would I listen to anything that Tiger Woods has to say regarding the state of international relations between Thailand and America. Why should I? There are far better sources for information and opinion than a golfer! Even if he is Stanford education (I might add). So, to all of those who think that Hines Ward or Tiger Woods has a responsibility to tell the rest of us what to do regarding cultural issues...I ask you to go and do a Google search for the old Nike ad with Charles Barkley. The one where he looks into the camera and says that "I am not a role model." Barkley spoke more of the truth in that commerical than I've ever heard from an athlete. And that, my friends, is the best truth you can get from an athlete. Revere me for my abilities in my particular arena of play; otherwise, I'm not here to be a role model for your kids. That's your job.