NEVER MEET YOUR HEROES

Many people know that it is Desiree Linden. She treats people horribly when she is not put up in front of the public by a sponsor.

You know how the public was shocked with Will Smith because we all thought we knew him because of how he normally presents himself in public.
Just like that.

My biggest hero when I was growing up was Tiger Woods, I idolised him hugely and religiously watched every tournament he ever played, Read everything about him and wanted to be just like him. So you can imagine my 14 year old hysteria when I heard he was coming to my hometown back in 2005 to play a Charity Tournament. When he stepped on the Tee and I heard the fizz of the ball cutting through the air for the first time, it was like seeing a living, breathing God to me.

Late that evening, I was walking around the grounds and I seen him come out of the pro shop and heading down to the range, it was literally just him and me and no one else anywhere to be seen so I ran over to try get an autograph and just said hey Tiger, he didn't even look at me and just walked straight past like I was invisible. I was devastated! So I never did get to meet him even though I had opportunities after that but he had lost his lustre for me after that.

There was a kids competition on the range that weekend and Ernie Els who was World No.2 at the time behind Tiger came down and gave us tips and advise and spent an hour talking with 6 of us, signed autographs and took pictures. The contrast between the two of them was incredible.

I met a lot of sports and music celebrities in my life due to my job. From the running greats I would say Sebastian Coe and Emil Zatopek were the biggest names. I met Sebastian Coe three times. Once after he finished an 800m race in 1.43 (he signed my book), once he and his wife were sitting beside me at the Zurich Diamond League meeting (and chatted throughout the whole meeting). And last November we met at an event and took a picture together.

The best hero meeting was Emil Zatopek. After a race we were invited to join the "Champion Dinner". We were sitting at table #2 as suddenly someone asked us if they could use the free space at our table. It was running legend Emil Zatopek and his wife Dana Zatopkova (a javelin Olympic champion). The host somehow forgot to save space for the guest of honor (!). So we were lucky to spend the whole evening with this legend. And they couldn't have been nicer. And in the end he signed me the menu (which hangs framed in my restroom since then).

I wonder sometimes if it's the day you meet them on though. Like if you'd met Tiger Woods at another time he might've stopped and chatted. We don't know what's going on for them.

Maybe no connection, but Els is a friend of 45 and was there when he hit his hole in one last week. And no Giuliani did not run out and kick the ball into the hole while they were coming up the fairway.

*I

She grew up in California like myself did?

Meeting and talking with Roger Bannister and Joan Benoit Samuelson at the same event was a highlight of college. Bannister was willing to answer my stupid question about why American milers weren't the greatest (actually, they were pretty good at the time in 1987 and wouldn't get back to that level until Alan Webb and Bernard Lagat), while Joanie's husband saw me and walked me over to say hello to her and she insisted on giving me an autograph as well. They were incredibly nice, and Joanie signed a picture for my wife as well when she was in high school and she was jumping into NH hs xc races for training runs while Jeff Johnson of Nike was coaching hs.

I saw Cole Hocker at a grocery store in Eugene yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything.
He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?”
I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical "infetterence”, and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.

Apparently more than one!

Didn't someone already do this one but with Emma Coburn's name instead?

I'm on this site too much.

First of all, athletes should not be your "heroes."

Second, I don't think any true athlete is in it for the fame, nor is charisma a prerequisite for them. So, no one owes you or anyone else a selfie, autograph, etc.

Next, we're all human. They may have had a bad day and decided they didn't want to interact with people. You don't know what happened to them before that moment, whether it was an hour before or the day before.

Lastly, what if you're a nut job? Safety first.

I have seen famous people, but I don't bother them.

Yes, this is a famous copypasta that’s been around ten years or more. I don’t even remember what celebrity was originally the subject of it.

good one-I met Boston Billy at a few races in the late '80 and you couldn't find a nicer guy...

Sure, adults should not need heroes. But kids need role models and they are drawn to athletes because they seem larger than life and almost super human. Maybe it's not really fair to put that burden on athletes because they have the same failings as the rest of us.

But they should remember that kids put their posters on their walls and dream of being like them. If you are a famous athlete this worship from kids just goes with the territory - like it or not. Or maybe it's just part of growing up to find out our heroes are just regular people, and sometimes not very nice people.

I wanna say it was the butthole surfers' lead singer.

Pretty sure referring to Pappas

I 100% agree. I know several people who met her and she was rude and aloof.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Those closest to her all have nasty stories.

Met Will Smith just last month at an industry awards show and inquired how and he and Jada were doing and that I loved her new cut.

He slapped me in the face and yelled at me twice...'Take ma wife's name out ya fc'kin mouth'.

I was deflated to say the least.