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'Celebrity Mountain' beginning to crumble

By John Buccigross
Special to ESPN.com

Wednesday, December 8, 2004

SUVs, sex and steroids. The professional athlete has always been a lesser sect of the celebrity cult, Joe DiMaggio and Joe Namath aside. In recent years, athletes seem to have closed the gap with the help of Hollywood, hip-hop and gargantuan salaries that have put athletes on an even spending field with musicians, actors and Paris Hilton. With their massive television exposure in the 300-channel universe and exploding wealth that has left their emotional attachment with their fans in the dus ...

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