Professional athletes across the globe have something far more powerful than money: influence.



Athletes tend to hold a great amount of influence over young fans, as they look up to and adore their favourite athletes, viewing them as idols. Sometimes that influence can be positive, but other times it can be rather perplexing. In an article written by NPR on the battle between science teachers and "fake news," middle school science teacher NIck Gurol discusses how his students now believe that the Earth is flat, all because Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving said so.

Gurol says his students got the idea of a flat planet from basketball star Kyrie Irving, who said as much on a podcast.



"And immediately I start to panic. How have I failed these kids so badly they think the Earth is flat just because a basketball player says it?" He says he tried reasoning with the students and showed them a video. Nothing worked.



"They think that I'm part of this larger conspiracy of being a round-Earther. That's definitely hard for me because it feels like science isn't real to them."



As funny as this story is at first glance, it's a rather jarring example of just how much influence a modern day athlete has over younger fans. The only proof the students needed to conclude that the Earth is flat was an athlete stating that it was true. Yikes.



Susan Yoon, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education believes that the solution for cases like this is to provide students with the proper tools to go out and think like a scientist by gathering evidence.



For cases like this, Yoon suggests teachers give students the tools to think like a scientist. Teach them to gather evidence, check sources, deduce, hypothesize and synthesize results. Hopefully, then, they will come to the truth on their own. - NPR



Middle school science teachers in Cleveland may be the only ones who are happy with the thought of Kyrie leaving town via trade. Might make their job a little easier.

(H/T: NPR)