Superstar good samaritan Tony Romo

In mid-November, reports surfaced that Tony Romo, star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, took a homeless man to the movies with him. In addition, he has recently attended a high school pep rally and helped a couple fix a flat tire. Paul Kix examines Romo’s helping tendencies in “Why is Tony Romo such a good Samaritan?” (http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3714553). Kix offers two separate theories on the issue. First, he says Romo’s helping may be a way of impressing his celebrity girlfriend, Jessica Simpson. This would be an example of helping to appear good. Second, Kix offers that “Romo may just be a good Midwestern boy.” In other words, Romo may just be truly altruistic. It is important to note that Romo did not seek publicity in any of the three incidents, rather it was other people who leaked the story to the press. For that reason, it would seem that altruism makes more sense than helping to appear good.