Poacher turned Gamekeeper

The Cult of Celebrity rears its ugly head once again. Reported in The Times (London) this morning was the manager of Sunderland football club, Roy Keane, launching a diatribe in the direction of "the growing number of players who are more concerned with cash, photo shoots and shops than sporting glory". With salaries of Premiership players stretching out in excess of £100K a week, his comments are clearly founded on more than just superfluous irritation. Ironically, in the same week came the story of another football player who did not wish to receive such a large salary for his sport, preferring instead to focus on his own "sporting glory".

It's hard to see how these players who aspire as much for a Ferrari as winning the league could care much about their reputations. On the one hand, they enjoy the attention they receive when on the pitch, and on the other they treat the attention off the pitch as either a necessary evil, or a money-spinner. Here we see an interesting dynamic which confuses the monetary value of fame with the moral value of reputation.

In most lines of business, a good reputation normally attracts business growth, with the converse also being true. Yet, a football player can be known for living a hugely extravagant lifestyle, with apparent disregard for his profession, yet still reap huge benefits in sponsorship and endorsements.

I'll close with more words of wisdom from Mr Keane: "these players have lost the hunger that got the Rolex, the cars and the mansion". An unsustainable future ?