The Agony of Hype

How does one deal with failure in an event when one is falsely crowned the champion before it occurs?

In Bode Miller's case, not well.

Prior to the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, Miller was assumed to be golden.

The media hype was relentless. So far, Bode has not lived up to expectations. He's been a complete bust.

The whole bad boy hero character, packaged by the media and exploited by Miller to the hilt, getting a lucrative endorsement deal with Nike and his own website, joinbode.com, (a shrine to Miller's ego), seems especially excessive in light of his disastrous performance in these Olympic Games.Bill Pennington writes:
A week into the Alpine competition that was supposed to set Miller up as the most decorated American Olympic skier ever, he has finished fifth in the downhill, blown a large early lead in the combined when he straddled a gate and skidded off the racecourse in one of his best events.

Apparently, the partying before competitions, sleeping late, and skipping inspections has caught up with him.

The "it's just Bode being Bode" charm doesn't cut it without success on the slopes to justify his behavior. Miller's emphasis on doing things his way, the focus on individualism and eccentricities, and the 60 Minutes profile when he suggested that he skied drunk, now come off as reckless, lazy, and narcissistic.

Is there a lesson here?

All the hype in the abstract world of dream machine media and endorsements doesn't matter if the persona created doesn't deliver in the concrete world of flesh and bones and blood.

Miller has two more races, two more opportunities for redemption. The thing is Miller doesn't seem to be looking for redemption. Nike, on the other hand, probably is praying for a miracle.

Another example of hype gone bad, REALLY bad, is the Lindsey Jacobellis incident.

It's ironic that in her commercial for Visa that ran before the Games began she played herself, trying to conquer pre-race jitters. Obviously, she wasn't suffering from a lack of confidence when her celebratory trick-turned-flub instantaneously transformed the golden girl into tarnished silver.


Both Miller and Jacobellis seem to be victims of their own delusions of grandeur.

Commercials, websites, television interviews, and magazine covers do not make Olympic champions.

There's no sure thing.

The best laid plans....

Etcetera.