Athletes are not invincible to failure

In today’s society, sports have a special place in the hearts of many. Athletes are looked upon as role models, celebrities, superheroes, even gods in certain cases. If you ask a young child who he wants to be when he grows up, more times than not you’d probably get an answer like “LeBron James” or “Tom Brady.”

Athletes have become so polarizing that sometimes we fans forget that they’re human too. Some sportswriters, myself included, call players “freaks” or “out-of-this-world” because of their natural ability to run faster, jump higher and be overall more athletic than the general public.

It isn’t until we see them in their weakest moments that we truly understand that professional athletes are just as vulnerable as we are.

On Tuesday night, the Chicago Bulls announced that point guard Derrick Rose would undergo surgery to have his already surgically-repaired meniscus repaired. This is just the latest setback for a player who seemed destined for greatness.

In 2011, Rose, in just his third season in the NBA, won the MVP award over the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard. Known for his freak athleticism and fearlessness attacking the rim, Rose was expected to dominate the league for years to come.

Unfortunately, during a   first-round playoff game in 2012 against the Philadelphia 76ers, Rose attacked the rim (like always), set his feet and then the unimaginable happened — he tore his ACL.

The reigning MVP, the superhero in the eyes of many young kids, was brought back to human level.

Rose would spend the next year rehabbing, missing the entire 2012-2013 season.

Adidas had a great marketing campaign chronicling the injured star’s journey through rehab, which led many to believe that their hero would return. And he finally did, just not as long as many had wished.

After just 10 games, Rose would tear his meniscus doing nothing especially strenuous — he simply went to change direction and his knee gave out. Rose spent the rest of the 2013-2014 season rehabbing in preparation for this season. He was healthy and ready to go for the start of the season, but something was off.

No longer did Rose attack the rim with such recklessness, no longer did he strike fear into his opponent — the athleticism that made him a freak was simply gone.

However, Rose adapted, and as the season progressed, he showed signs of the player he used to be.

Rose was finally rounding into shape when news broke of his meniscus tear. Many are now certain that the former savior of Chicago will never return to MVP form.

As fans, we build up players to be so much more than they are.

We truly want to believe that these players are from a different planet or are flat-out made differently than us. How else can we justify looking up to them and adoring them like gods?

A day after Rose’s injury was announced, a much smaller headline hit the ESPN ticker — the Detroit Lions had just released Reggie Bush.

Bush, as most of you know, was a standout college athlete for USC, and just like Rose, he seemed destined for greatness.

When Trojan fans watched Bush play, it was like something out of a video game.

No other college football running back was as fast, versatile or flat out talented as Bush, who won the Heisman trophy before having it taken away from him for receiving improper benefits while attending USC.

Bush won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in 2010, but he played a minuscule role in the offense.

Hoping for a leading role, Bush went first to Miami and then landed in Detroit, where he thrived.

Just like Rose, however, Bush struggled with injuries. Throughout his nine-year career, Bush has managed to play a full season only twice.

Another former USC star, quarterback Matt Leinart, was never able to live up to his hype as well. Drafted No. 10 by the Arizona Cardinals in 2006, Leinart had an impressive rookie season but sprained his throwing shoulder.

Leinart was able to return the next season, but he broke his collarbone in week 4 and lost his job to backup Kurt Warner. Leinart was never able to recover and is now retired.

Leinart and Bush are examples of what can happen to those that are overhyped and similar to Rose’s case, over adored.

The faster we learn as fans that these athletes are human just like us, the easier it will be for athletes to just be athletes.  These athletes never asked for the fame or the pressure of being a hero or god. That was never part of the job description.

By promoting and making athletes feel superior to everybody else, we are basically setting them up to fail. We love them when they are doing well, and we turn on them once they start doing badly, even if it is out of their control.

There are thousands of Bulls fans that loved and adored Rose back in 2011 but are now complaining and wishing that the former MVP would be some other team’s problem.

There’s only so much of a tolerance for players that are so vulnerable to injury and these athletes, like Rose, typically wash out as time goes on.

Unfortunately for athletes, this endless cycle shows no signs of slowing down.

Nick Barbarino is a junior majoring in business administration. His column “Beyond the Arc” runs Fridays.