Hunter or Hunted?

I was never a top notch athlete so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about here, but the thought occurred to me recently that many athletes think they are "the hunter" when in reality they are "the hunted."

I believe that what sparked this thought for me was a comment that was made in passing on ESPN radio about LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The announcer was saying how impressed he is that LeBron--playing in his home town, a big star with a gigantic contract and endorsement deals, very young, having come directly into the NBA from high school--has managed to avoid any scandal, or even any significant missteps in terms of his public image since entering the league. He expressed a bit of amazement that this was even possible!

Looking at these young guys who are stars at the high school and college level, I think they often see themselves as the hunters. They are in pursuit of victory, of fame, of women, of moving on to the next level and so on. Their mindset is that they are climbing the mountain, overcoming challenges and achieving their goals. And to some extent, I'm sure that's a correct perception.

But I also see that they can be very naive, not realizing that they often really are the hunted. Coaches want to secure their services to achieve their own goals. People want to hang around them to leech onto their popularity, regardless of whether they truly like them. Women, in today's world, see dating star athletes as a notch in their belt. I know all of this is true at the professional level but I suspect that it's also true in even the smallest high schools . . . and I don't think most of these kids have a clue.