After the latest “cross over” story, the one where Ranger’s tough guy Sean Avery is interning at Vogue magazine, I started thinking about sports stars and their incessant need to “branch out” beyond their sports fame. Everyone seems to want to be a multi threat, and not in their sport, but in celebrity. It seems as if every athlete wants to be a product pitchman, a movie star, a rapper/singer, director, producer etc.

What happened to just being a really damn good athlete? What happened to having the drive to be the very best in your sport, for your team, your city and your fans? When did it become normal for every decently gifted athlete to decide that they needed to be all things in all professions?

I am most certain that it is not a money issues. I mean I know you have to feed your family, right Spree, but can you not live on a couple million dollars a year? I know that some will argue that they need to set themselves up for life after sports and I partly agree with that. I know that in the, what have you done for me lately, world of sports you are only as good as your last season. So many of these athletes may be looking towards retirement but I don’t buy that is the case for most.

It may be that we just live in this 15 minutes of fame culture. Where even some dude who can barely sing, like William Hung, can be a star, but these guys (and gals) are already famous. At what point does your ego get so big that you need to pitch every product and star in movies before you get tired of seeing yourself?

I know that this is a bitchy rant and maybe it’s showing my age (I’m only 29, come on) but I like my sports stars to be stars because of their sport, not because they can barely act or sing or produce. Sometimes when you are really good at one thing it doesn’t translate well to another. Just ask Michael Jordan about baseball, or Shaq about acting…or rapping.

I know you all think that you are on the roads to stardom, and you are, but it is from what you are good at. Your sport and your athletic ability. So please, PLEASE just stop. I want our athletes back, untarnished and unsullied by the likes of Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and Nashville.

{This is also posted at Nosebleed Radio}