O.J Mayo, and unrealistic expectations.

It's bloody basketball again, but only for a brief second, and only to illustrate a point.



Tropicana and a jar of Hellmann's?


This handsome young gentleman is O.J Mayo.

He is famous (aside from having a name that could substitute as a rushed shopping list) for being a professional basketball in the NBA. He plays for the Memphis Grizzlies.
O.J Mayo's career has so far been seen as a bit of a disappointment. It's not that he isn't a good player, becaue he is good, and has played well (I have heard him described as a "poor man's Kobe Bryant" [which scales nicely as a "tramp's Michael Jordan"]).
Nevertheless, he get's a lot of criticism for being not as good as he was supposed to be. When he entered the NBA, a number of people (mainly his own agent, believe it or not) heaped praises onto his ability. Scouts were describing him as a potential superstar, and a future Hall-of-Famer. He hasn't lived up to it.
Now, consensus has been drawn that while he is a good player, he will never be an amazing player. And the only reason that anyone ever thought that he could be an amazing player, was because he looks like he should be an amazing player. He has a typical NBA star-look, he's charamatic and photogenic.
I use this lenghty annecdote, firstly, to finally use that shopping list/name joke at the beginning (I've had it for ages and there has never been a suitable platform), but also to illustrate that unfair nature of attractiveness.

I don't know for sure, but I always think I am naturally kinder/more generous to people if they are attractive. I don't know if it's a conscious decision, but it certainly seems to happen, and I don't think I'm the only one. Better looking people get treated better. Us less attractive people want to establish favour with them, perhaps they will like us? Perhaps they will let us look at them a bit longer?

However, in O.J Mayo's case it has worked against him. Because he had the look of a star, he also had the expectation to live up to.

I'm sure I was going to make an actual point. But you'll have to make do with that last one. I'm tired, and that's about as good as it's gonna get.