Selfie

Your selfie with Putin goes viral, and you're suddenly an even bigger rock star in Sochi.

But then, something happens. The blow back begins. People start bringing up human rights atrocities in Russia, and how your photo of you and Putin is an inherent endorsement of everything bad that Russia does. All of the positive momentum you had fostered with the act of sportsmanship on the cross country ski course reverses on you.

Suddenly, you're a target for scorn. You delete the tweet with the picture of you and Putin, but that only exacerbates matters. You go from beloved Olympic coach to despised for placating an international ruffian.

On the plane home, you're a pariah. No one wants to be seen with you. The PR person from your Olympic committee tries to delay you when you arrive home so that photographers don't snap pictures of you with the rest of the Olympians.

The only thing going in your favor is that all of this happened at the Winter Olympics. A week goes by, and everyone forgets that the sporting event even happened. There was never an act of heroism on your part. No selfie with a Russian leader. Nothing.

You go back to your regular life, relieved, but not without a measure of longing for life in the spotlight.