Two words: Dream Team.

Or, if you prefer, the greatest team ever assembled.

Forget the 2000 Yankees, forget the ’85 Bears, forget the Bulls of the ’90s, the original Dream Team is the greatest group of athletes to ever play together–period.

But that isn’t my point.

While the original Dream Team was the greatest team every assembled, they were also one of the most respected teams ever. They didn’t play with attitude or anger, they played with class.

Just 10 years ago, children across America had role models to emulate as they began to understand what having sportsmanship and being a team really meant.

Today, children have delinquents to idolize.

Athletes today are more worried about stats and “bling-bling” than whether or not their team wins.

For example, look at the basketball team that represented the United States at the World Basketball Championships. The team was composed of players who were more worried about making “SportsCenter” than winning.

The result: three losses in the tournament and a sixth-place finish. The losses were the first three in USA basketball since professionals began playing in 1992.

In the games that the team lost, the players were more worried about their scoring average than the point total on the board. I wish I had something nice to say about the team, but I don’t. I would have rather seen a bunch of no-name college players compete than watch Paul Pierce do whatever the hell he wanted on the court. I honestly think the entire team was hitting the bong during halftime, because I hadn’t seen that many bloodshot eyes since I saw Beaches.

Then, in the opening weekend of the National Football League, there were so many blatant acts of showing off that I couldn’t believe it. In the Cleveland vs. Kansas City game Dwayne Rudd cost the Browns the victory because he took his helmet off and threw it down the field to celebrate during the final play of the game. This resulted in a penalty, and after a Morten Anderson field goal, the Browns went home–losers. After the game Rudd was asked if he felt like he had cost his team the victory. He staunchly replied, “No.”

In the Monday night affair, numerous Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated extensively after making tackles in the fourth quarter–even though the Steelers were down by 23 points.

It is almost as if what a player does after the play is more important than what he does during the play. And the worst part is that kids are watching and imitating how the players act.

Just look at the Little League World Series. The team from Harlem, N.Y., was showboating so much that they were warned of ejection if it continued. Twelve-year-old kids were showing up other 12-year-old kids because that is what they had seen on television.

How effective or believable are the NFL and United Way commercials shown every Sunday when as soon as the commercials end the player is taunting the other team and making lewd gestures?

Isn’t it time that the professional leagues start levying serious fines for unacceptable behavior? Where does it stop? The actions of the players are having serious effects on children, because children don’t know how to draw a line between right and wrong, and the adults must do it for them.

The fact is that athletes are role models and their actions directly affect the youth of America. If you don’t agree, I suggest you go to your local YMCA or little league field and watch a game or two.

Put simply; Charles Barkley is wrong–he is a role model.