<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Fame has its consequences. For Allen Iverson, being one of the world's most recognizable athletes, Reebok's marquee spokesman, and a cocaptain of the U.S. men's basketball team, that consequence is lack of freedom. Freedom to move around Athens. Freedom to have fun. And freedom from the burden of expectations. With the top-selling basketball sneaker in the United States, Iverson is "driving the [shoe] business," one of Reebok's top executives said yesterday. His popularity globally is off the charts, and his face at the Summer Olympics here is as recognizable as Michael Jordan's was in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992. It is possible, Iverson suggested yesterday, that he is more popular abroad than at home, where, he maintains, people misunderstand him because of an unforgiving media. In Athens, Iverson doesn't feel free to enjoy the ancient city, mingle with other competitors in the athletes' village, shop with his family, or enjoy an evening on the town or, for that matter, on the monstrous cruise ship where the men's team is staying.</div> Full Article | Similiar Article Courtesy of Ashley McGeachy Fox/The Philadelphia Inquirer <font color="DarkRed">Registration Required</font> I've always more appreciated the fans love for a celebrity more throughout the rest of the world, than here in the States. Here in the States, we know everything there is to know about a celebrity and sometimes it gets tiring, and boring. However, in Europe, or any other continent other than North America it is a much greater admireation because of the lack of information and coverage of that certain celebrity, and that is why they (the fans) go crazy when they here a bit of news on their favorite celebrity. It's the rest of the world that puts Allen at number one, that makes his shoes the top selling one, his jersey among the top selling ones. It's kind of like a Biggie/Tupac thing with their names written in Africa (heard it on a Will Smith - Ali interview). It's an outlet for many people to live, in places like Africa and other poor countries, and continents around the world. Very heartwarming.
For me its good to see there are people who lead an entirely differant life but still like someone like Allen Iverson, I wonder what people abroad think about Kobe.....
Honstly people in other countries like athen dont have to listen to the crap that our media dishes out everyday just to try and get a story to keep there jobs that makes them more pen minded then some people over here. Though really AI is not more famous there people just treat him better really because they dont get to see a supstar of his caliber everyday living over there they even have to wake up mad early just to catch a game or something.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Pure Skillz:</div><div class="quote_post">Though really AI is not more famous there people just treat him better really because they dont get to see a supstar of his caliber everyday living over there they even have to wake up mad early just to catch a game or something.</div> Even though there aren't many celebrities of Iverson's caliber just walking around in Greece, or in parts of Europe for that matter, but there are some. They aren't up to par with his celebrity status, as he is known worldwide, but European celebrities, and celebrities everywhere else with the exception of the Asias, and the USA can be seen doing everyday things. I remember seeing a Croatian national soccer team player just walking around the beach like he is a nobody, and he is well known around Europe, plus his team placed 3rd in the 1998 World Cup (the most watched sports spectacle in the world), and he was one of the star players. I also saw Toni Kukoc and met him him at one of the Croatian islands a few summers ago. This is because other parts of the world don't live off of imaginations, and living in a celebrities point of view. People have their own lives to live, and not go chase around celebrities.
