The mighty have fallen:
Examining hero worship in the steroids era

According to Dr. Stanley H. Teitelbaum, a practicing psychotherapist and faculty member and senior supervisor at the Center for Advanced Psychoanalytic Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University/Madison, Bonds is a perfect fit for the “toxic athlete profile.”

Teitelbaum cites scores of similar examples in his book Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols: How Star Athletes Pursue Self-Destructive Paths and Jeopardize Their Careers (University of Nebraska Press).

“Bonds is an interesting figure,” he says. “There are a lot of different feelings about him. There’s a ‘sleaze factor.’ He’s the quintessential example of the toxic athlete, displaying characteristics including entitlement, arrogance, and grandiosity. He does it time and time again.”