What Makes A Celebrity Athlete?

A celebrity is by and large someone who has always viewed themselves as one...even before they obtain fame. Look at any number of people who knew they were superstars before the world knew. A friend of mine had Obama as a law professor. Obama started a hypothetical "Assume that I was president of the United States....." The class laughed and Obama retorted, "What is so funny about that?"

You may not need talent, but you need to be unique. You also need the ability to accept rejection and come back for more. I believe it was Dumas who received hundreds of rejection letters. It took David Seidler, the writer of "The King's Speech," decades for his project to come to screen.

Baseball once had a role player who was never used in a game. His moniker was, "Bench me or trade me." Football once had a punt returner who became famous as "White Shoes Johnson." Yes, he was talented, but above all, he was colorful. Sports careers last a finite period of time.