Written By: Jaytee
Another professional athlete has put himself in a possibly compromising situation. Why is this news? Upon first glance, the occurrences in the personal lives of athletes seem mundane nowadays, but this circumstance illuminates a bigger dialogue about the world of celebrity.
Alex Rodriguez, more popularly referred to as A-Rod by baseball fans everywhere, has been photographed out on the town with a “mystery woman” while still being presumably happily married. In fact, A-Rod’s barhopping with an attractive woman is not so mysterious. He is a professional athlete, who has been under an enormous amount of pressure his entire career, notably this season with the struggling Yankees, and who seem to have a mistress he thought no one would find out about. It may turn out that this woman is nothing more than a friend or some sort of relative, but it would not be surprising to find out that the initial suspicion is true.
Sportswriters have been talking for years about a “code” which athletes live by. The code consists of an idea that what the pros do off the field is not spoken about. Some of the media have said that this photo has in some way broken the code. If these writers actually stand behind that statement, then they are being naive. Athletes are not immune to problems with drug abuse, alcoholism, or infidelity and never have been.
Anyone ever heard the phrase “steroids in baseball”? How about the names Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, or Darryl Strawberry? Every sport has those select few who tarnish the image of their particular game. The point is that the code is a dangerous mentality because it allows these pros to think they are invincible, untouchable, and unstoppable.
The recent, tragic death of St. Louis Cardinal’s pitcher Josh Hancock taught us that, but I digress. The reaction this situation has caused is due to the sexual implication behind the photo. If viewers of this photo did not speculate about sex, or at least about infidelity, between A-Rod and this unnamed woman, no one would be talking about it and that would be the code at its best.
The photograph is now plastered all over the New York Post (who knows where else) and suddenly the camera zooms into the face of A-Rod and into his life in a way not previously seen concerning athletes. Does this mean that the paparazzi are a growing industry not being satisfied with the dalliances of young Hollywood celebs and more concerned than ever in making a quick buck? Perhaps the paparazzi know that athletes are as much celebrities as movie and television stars are. Athletes appear at just as many award shows and movie premieres as other celebs, placing them in the cycle of public scrutiny (this cycle is not a single, a double, a triple, and a home run either).
The fact is that the private lives of celebrities are uninteresting. There are many more important, global concerns than what poor decisions Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, or Lindsay Lohan are making. The infatuation with celebrity lives has been one way for some to get away from the turmoil in the world, but now this “escape” is adding to that same turmoil.
Celebrity news, usually scandalous in nature, has changed the way major news outlets report. Negative celebrity behavior has become seemingly acceptable. Society has become voyeuristic in a huge way and now has to deal with the effects. By the way, the thought of ones mistakes being forever captured in pictures or video is unimaginable, but now a reality for everyone thanks to camera phones and YouTube. Part of the human condition and experience is being able to make mistakes and change ones mind. Glorifying these mistakes is destructive to whatever goodness is left in our society.
The question then becomes “How are celebrities different from anyone else?” The answer is they are not. They are more visible and, usually, materialistic. They have a job where their work is seen all over the world. They get to travel extensively as a result, meet others, and receive swag like never before. They have nicer houses, cars, and clothes than the average American. That’s it. Of course celebrities can be altruistic, but their lives are not the norm. Trying to emulate that is absurd and often times unobtainable.
They are human beings who can be appreciated while in the public eye doing their job, but that is where the adoration should stop. If more decisions were being made based on ones own life instead of glitzy representations of someone else’s life, maybe there would be a little more hope about our society, our country, and our world. This is not to suggest that being less celeb-centric can cure world hunger (I am not that gullible, although The Globe may experience some unemployment, which certainly couldn’t hurt). Being less focused on celebrities might lead to a little less social negativity and a bit more genuine happiness, introspection, and self-acceptance. Self-acceptance?…anyone?…anyone?
Technorati Tags: Alex Rodriguez, A-Rod, Mystery Woman, Mistress, Baseball, scandal, life of celebrity
