Now we know. Michael Phelps and Alex Rodriguez are in fact human beings. They're not superheroes from another planet; they're fallible just like the rest of us. Maybe even more so.

Time and again over the last century adolescents who've put sports stars on a pedestal have set themselves up for a fall.

From "Say It Ain't So, Joe" Jackson of the 1919 Chicago "Black Sox," whose team threw the World Series, to Pete Rose, whose gambling habit got him kicked out of baseball, to the apparent steroid use of one-time icons Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.

Phelps, the Olympic champion swimmer and apologetic pot smoker, was America's golden boy until his reputation went up in smoke, his illicit actions captured by a fellow partier's cellphone camera for all the world to see (thank you, Internet). A-Rod, like Bonds, relied on potentially harmful drugs to gain an edge.

All these mortals have fallen from grace.

Athletes have turned to artificial assists for decades. But when the benefit is shown to have been achieved by the use of steroids or other performance-enhancing substances, the wrong message is sent to the younger generation, the boys and girls who've been told repeatedly that the only valid way to succeed in life is through study, practice and hard work—no shortcuts.

Moms, dads, please remind your kids that Rodriguez and Phelps, no matter how unbelievably gifted they are in their respective sports, are not true heroes. The firefighter who pulls a child from a burning building is a hero. The soldier who risks his life on the battlefield is a hero, and so is the US Airways pilot who calmly landed his jet safely in the Hudson River.

But let's not throw all of our sports stars under the bus. Many play by the rules and live up to their fans' adulation. Even so, sports and entertainment stars aren't the ones who should be molding our children's lives.

The examples we need our kids to follow must be set by the leaders in the community: the coaches, teachers, club advisers and other mentors.

The best role model of all is, of course, you, the parent.

Teach your children to stretch the limits but follow the rules. Dreaming is good. Cheating is a cop-out.

Phelps and A-Rod probably grew up hearing the same good advice. It's a shame they didn't follow the instructions.