Why do we, as society, try to bring down all the people that we build up to be heroes?
It’s amazing to me that we spend so much time and effort in printing every positive story about people, only to turn on them and attack every little thing they do?
It has to be the media. The people that are assigned to cover every little move a celebrity, athlete, political figure, or socialite makes.
Are they that miserable in their own lives that they only thrive by making others lives miserable too? Or, is it the people in charge who demand controversy in order to sell newspapers or magazines?
Since the newspapers and magazines are a dying medium, it’s only going to get worse until they completely die out.
The lastest is that Alex Rodriguez failed a drug test 6 years ago. Apparently, he’s tested positive for steroids. Now, it could be explained and there might be a reason. It’s also true that everyone was doing it and the most naturally gifted player to come along and play the game in the past 50 years just wanted to make sure he didnt’ get passed by.
We all know that Rodriguez has to be considered the best of his generation and possibly one of the greatest of all-time. He’s hit for average and power and defended two difficult positions. He hasn’t bulked up and moved to 1st base or DH. He hasn’t hindered his team with injuries.
Controversy follows him for only one reason. He makes $250 Million and the media make his every move public.
It can only be attributed to jealousy. When he was younger, everyone marveled at the talent he had and the lever he played at. When the Texas Rangers gave hime a 10 year deal worth a quarter of a billion dollars, the tide turned.
Alex Rodriguez, the slick fielding, base stealing, home-run hitting, baseball player was now A-Rod, the face of greed and selfishness. He was supposed to be the man that turned down all that money for a lesser offer from his Seattle Mariners. Since he didn’t, he obviously only made the move for the money and therefore didn’t care about the game of baseball.
Then, in a move that would further cement his status as a complete egomaniac and jerk, he got traded to the New York Yankees.
Even worse, when that contract was up, he got another one for even more money. At the end of his current deal, he’ll have made over $500 Million dollars in his career. Bill Gates would have a stroke if he woke up with that kind of money tomorrow morning, but to the rest of us, it’s a hard to even fathom that kind of cash.
So, where does that leave A-Rod? Up a creek without a paddle in the eyes of the people that would like to destroy him.
You won’t hear a word about the time or money he gives to charity, what you’ll hear about is his time spent with Madonna. Where he had dinner, what he tipped, what color his shoes are, why he did steroids, how he’s disgraced the game, etc.
All in the name of free press? I don’t think so.
If any of the writers who’ve ever written a word about Rodriguez were to be offered $250 million to go write for a paper in Texas for ten years, not one of them would turn it down. They would take the money and do their job, but no one cares whether a writer turns out a good 500 words every day for his local rag. If the guy didn’t write “War & Peace” would he be a failure? No. But, if his colleagues followed his every move, reported on his eating habits, told about his dates, and let everyone in the free world know that he wasn’t writing the next great literary masterpiece, he would be a failure because they’ve deemed him so.
We saw it a few years back when baseball came out of a public relations nightmare known, in politically correct terms, as a work stoppage.
Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa had the whole country on their side while smacking home runs from coast to coast. They did it for two straight years and everyone loved them.
Shortly after that, they were both being crucified, by the press, for using steroids and “cheating”. Baseball turned it’s back on them and never defended the men who brought it back into the public eye after it had been beaten down. McGwire still has no shot at getting into the Hall of Fame although for his whole career he hit monster home runs and should be in there with no problem.
Barry Bonds is arguably one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He’s won 7 MVP’s and has been an all star, won gold gloves, hit for power and average, yet he’s a cheat. He’s done steroids. He’s sullied the good name of baseball. (As if there is such a thing.)
Michael Phelps? 8 Gold Medals in one Olympic games. Amazing. Now? Pothead. Everyone has something bad to say about him. Does marijuana make you a better swimmer? I really don’t think so. but, the media has to look for this stuff. If it didn’t and it didn’t pay well to get pictures of it, then no one would do it.
It’s more than just sports stars. It’s Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Tommy Lee, Mel Gibson, Nick Nolte, and anyone else that’s ever appeared on tv or a movie, sang a song, wrote a book, or just lived in Paris Hilton’s case.
It has to be jealousy, because there’s no other reason for people to want to destroy the lives of other people. Unless it’s Michael Jackson who’s just weird.