There Are No Superstars Left, Only Entertainers

"There are no more movie stars.

There's no more glamour.

Even the Oscars used to be so fun."

– Jennifer Aniston for Allure

It's the layers.

The online buzz around each game, the pre-match leaks, fantasy football, the increasingly frequent, almost reality TV-like games, the plethora of content that follows, the pseudo rage and weaponized optimism after any result – and the algorithms that peddle them.

Beneath, choked by these superficial layers, lie the footballer, the person, the professional athlete we should really know, yesteryear's superstar.

For most, players are mere entertainment. Run around. Kick some balls. Help win arguments with friends. Earn them gambling bucks. Allow them pack new cards on FUT. [If you don't know what this means, good].

For us, for you the reader, for the hungry, it is crucial that we sieve through this dense, clouding web and make out players to be the professional athletes and people they really are:

• Those who make a livelihood from leveraging genetics, training, and optimizing their body.
• Those who suffer in the gym while we work relatively sedentary jobs.
• Those who are, by large, competitive and at the top 0.01% of their profession.

Otherwise, the footballer devolves in our eyes, and our assessment and perception of them worsens.

They became just objects to muse at. Nothing else.

How then do we reclaim the true essence of football superstars?

We start by remembering what actually makes them super.

Athletes are platformed by athleticism and their appreciation of it: which sport they commit to, the techniques they adopt while competing, how they train, the degree to which they push themselves.

Coaches exist to support or direct an athlete through this self-discovery journey – hence why ex-pros typically, sometimes unfairly, get first dibs to coach elite players.

Scouts exist to scope an athlete's current athletic base, the athlete's understanding of it, and to predict whether, at peak or within a prescribed time-frame, the athlete will attain an understanding sufficient to contribute to the club's priorities.

Analysts (should) exist to filter the numbers, footage, precedent, or opponents to support coaches or scouts to make calls about a player's self-discovery journey.

Football players are athletes.

So, strip away the layers. Mute the noise. Dim the spotlight.

What remains isn't a social media sensation, a fantasy football asset, or tabloid fodder.

It's a person pushing physical limits, honing skills religiously, competing fiercely.

It's an athlete. A true superstar.

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