It's an indication that the consumers appetite for entertainment is infinite. It's an indictment of our society having its top priorities set on their favorite team winning. Nothing else matters.
It starts when little billy dreams big and wants to be a pro player. If Billy starts to become a young superstar everyone worships the kid on the way up to college. If there's a state championship on the line, high school teachers give them preferential treatment to make sure they stay eligible to play. Everyone treats Billy's parents special so one day they can say, "We were friends with Billy so and so back before he played for the Chiefs." Everyone wants to borrow someone's celebrity status like it will somehow rub off. Social media has been steroids for this kind of culture. These kid athletes are stuck in both worlds. They want the status, and the ones that gain
the status do not lack in getting preferential treatment. Anyone saying the athletes now treated well enough or aren't paid enough has had their mind warped by this crazy culture. They are getting exactly what they always wanted.