Celebrity culture

Yesterday, 45 000 people went to Real Madrid's stadium to greet Kaka, the new brasilian star acquired by the club for 60 million euros. They cheered wildly the short speech by the club's president, the real estate magnate Florentino Perez, and the even shorter speech by the star, who appeared fully clad in white, like an angel, with Real's trademark equipment. Real Madrid, who is expecting even more fans to greet Cristiano Ronaldo, who was purchased for 92 million euros, feels sure that these are great investments, not because of the goals they are expected to score but because of the financial returns in publicity and merchandising. This is celebrity culture gone awry. Politicians are hounded by the press and seen as little better than criminals; except in Italy, if they have entertainment value like Berlusconi. Now that ideals have vacated the realm of politics, they seem to be fully invested in football. Great players are no longer merely stars, they are heroes.