Your 15 Minutes Are Here (The End of Fame)

When I was growing up, my brother and I collected baseball cards.

We would trade them, pore over the stats of each player, even (almost) enjoy the cardboard-like gum that came in each pack.

I can still remember the names…

Rod Carew. Lou Brock. Carl Yastrzemski. Fred Lynn. Nolan Ryan.

Most of these players are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. All of them are legends for their respective teams.

But I was saying to my wife the other day…

“I probably couldn’t name 10 active baseball players today.”

Is this because I just don’t follow baseball any more? Or is it something else?

In 1968, Andy Warhol said that “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

This is where the phrase “15 minutes of fame” originated.

That time has arrived.

Because of the advent of social media, anyone with access to a smart phone and Internet connection can indeed become “famous”.

But here’s the problem…

In the movie The Incredibles, the villain Syndrome says to Mr. Incredible: “When everyone’s super… no one will be.”

Now that EVERYONE is famous, NO ONE is.

Why?

Simple math.

When the legends of the industry were coming up the ranks in the 1970’s and 1980’s, there were 4 TV channels and no Internet.

By simple math, everyone in The United States had access to ONLY these same few choices.

For example, the finale of M*A*S*H was viewed by more than 60% of all U.S. households – also known as a 60 share.

The date was February 28, 1983. (I was 16 at the time.)

Today, it is mathematically impossible for any TV show to get 60 share, even The Super Bowl.

Why? Because there are simply too many channels and too many choices for such numbers to ever be reached again.

Ironically, this realization didn’t depress me like I thought it would.

In fact, it helped me take a deep breath and feel a lot better.

I hope this realization helps you to breathe easier, too.

I believe in you!