Unless you have been under a rock for the last 6 months, you know there has been an influx off superstar athletes not living up to their expected standards. Whether it is Tiger Woods and his use-to-be secret guilty pleasures, Gilbert Arenas and his some 300 guns and rifles he likes to point at teammates, or Big Ben Roethlisberger and his affection for harassing young women in clubs. Situations like these happen everyday behind closed doors, but when you are a superstar that makes millions of dollars playing a sport most play just for fun, people somehow find a way to open the door. With millions of fans following their every move via Twitter, Facebook, or just the media in general, the lives of the athletes are under scrutiny every minute of every day.
"The athletes aren't solely the ones to blame," said Sophomore Caleb Ireland. "When they go from poor college student to super rich athlete in a single day because they were drafted, it throws a thousand different things at them. From family and friends coming out of the wood work looking for a hand out, to girls throwing themselves at the athletes, they think they can do whatever they want."

You could say it's bound to happen. Athletes are going to make bad choices. Mike Tyson filed for bankruptcy in August of 2003. Michael Vick went to prison for two years after his dog-fighting ring came to light. Even though these select few cast an incredibly dark shadow on sports and the athletes as a whole, some manage to shine through.

Kansas City's own Brian Waters is one bright light in coming from the darkness. Brian was nominated for the Walter Peyton 'Man of the Year' Award in 2007 after he started his 'Brian Waters 54 Foundation,' which benefits kids in his hometown of Waxahachie, Texas and in Kansas City.

"Anything that athletes can do to benefit others, they should," said Sophomore Zach Way. "The fans pay the athletes salaries, whether they like it or not. They should always keep that in mind, on and off the field."

Whether the athlete or the society is to blame, people make bad choices occasionally. As long as people continue to watch these athletes make millions of dollars playing sports, then every action of theirs will be monitored. And even though some athletes make poor choices, there are still a few that know how to make a great impact on and off the field.