On February 19, there was an interesting dichotomy of words and emotion involving two world famous athletes and their families. The newly famous U.S. figure skater Evan Lysacek acknowledged the support and sacrifices of his 
family to help him reach his Olympic dream the evening before. His stunningly graceful and nearly flawless free skate helped him win the gold.
“I just kept thinking here, I want to make my family proud. And it’s funny that, you know, with the Olympics, the crowd, the media and everything else that’s going on, that really that has been my driving factors; making my family, friends, coaches proud and all the people that have been behind me. I know what I’ve sacrificed, and they’ve sacrificed and worked just as hard and given as much.” -U.S. Olympian Evan Lysacek on The Today Show, the day after winning Olympic gold in Men’s Figure Skating.
Three hours later, and 2500 miles away, Tiger Woods, of lifelong golfing fame, held a closed press conference to read a statement apologizing to his family, friends, fellow-golfers, sponsors and the general public about his personal and marital indiscretions, for which he is seeking counselling and treatment. Without judging the behaviors that led to this point, compare his words below to the words of Evan Lysacek.
“…I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by…I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me…” -Tiger Woods at his press conference regarding recent personal struggles.
I wonder what part, if any, the way we worship our top athletes plays a part in how they evolve through their fame. Clearly, not every famous athlete has Tiger Woods type of fame. That’s an almost unwordly level. And, not every famous athelete is engaging in this type of activity, either. There are many fine, upstanding examples of athletic celebrity. Perhaps, it really is the individual and how they handle the life that comes with fame.
One of the reasons I love the Olympics is the pureness of the emotional reactions the athletes have – the sheer joy of winning and the disappointment of coming up short. Hearing Lysacek consider what his family sacrificed for him touched me as a parent. As a U.S. citizen, I’m proud to have him represent the best of our Olympians. I hope he will always remember the role his family played in his drive for the gold.
What are your thoughts on athletic fame? Why do some handle it so well, and others do not? Do we, the spectators, play a role in that?
