What is it about T.O. and other athletes similar to him that causes the media and public............

SanctionII

.............to devote so much attention to them, including daily of not hourly reports on their on the field and off the field activities?

For that matter, what is it about these athletes that cause them to be so attention starved that they act in a manner to draw attention to themselves (i.e. Dennis Rodman in a wedding gown)? Are they truly off their rocker or are they merely putting on a false front to generate attention and dollars their way?

Why do we love them or hate them and want to know what they are doing?

ToppsCo1lector

Certain athletes; like Rodman and Owens are not only impact players BUT are the type that are either loved or hated. They know that professional sports is a business; and for most any press is good press. Lets face it, if an athlete isn't a big deal on the field of play their actions off the field of play go less noticed. For some, it isn't on purpose; 1 bad media incident can create a backlash against them and garner the player more attention.

Todays sports(mainly football, baseball, basketball) have gone from backpage articles to front page news. Our society deems nearly everything as an open book and considers non performance issues/stories as something that us as fans are very interested in. I think the main reason isn't a change of perception of us fans; but mearly easier avenues of connectability(internet, television; media mediums etc).

To me, I'm a guy that cares about what goes on in the field of play. Unless someone is a woman hitter, drug addict, or a bad criminal I usual take stories with a grain of salt.

gosteelers

Sports are slowly being led down the path to ruins with athletes like Owens and incidents like the Miami brawl. Pretty soon, you may not know the difference between the NFL and WWE...Entertainment vs. Reality

Michigan

I once heard Dennis Rodman described as a "man-child". Caught between being an adult and wanting
the attention and approval of a 12 year old. The wedding dress incident is a good example.