ATHLETES NEXT UNTAPPED WELL OF PAPARAZZI POWER: The NEW YORK TIMES digs the dirt on the celebrity status of athletes:
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The article argues that while Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan are monitored 24/7, “not a lot of journalists and paparazzi are camped out in a hotel in Cincinnati waiting for ballplayers.”
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But Will Leitch, overseer of Deadspin, wonders how long the apathy of athletes’ extracurricular activities will last.
“Athletes have gotten a free ride. If you’re not at the level of an A-Rod, you probably still will. I don’t think there’s a market for that kind of news unless you have a transcendent level of popularity.”
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Leitch cites the example of Randy Johnson swatting away at a cameraman in New York in 2005. “One guy follows him in New York and he freaks out. Even Sean Penn could have handled that.”
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Of course, most athletes are responsible citizens and wouldn’t dream of assaulting members of the media.
Right, Ryan Leaf?
Right, Kenny Rogers?
