A movie star I got to know once told me: “I have two nightmares. The first is that the media would hound me wherever and whenever. The second is that they wouldn’t.” For stars, to be hunted by the paparazzi day and night is a dismal prospect. Unlike you and me, they can’t step out without their hair in place, their clothes fashionable, their makeup immaculate. Who likes to be, like the North Pole or Niagara Falls, perpetually picturesque? Who doesn’t like occasionally a quiet walk in the park or a quiet date with a charmer, unobserved and unreported? Yet, what kind of a star are you if nobody wants to see you or hear of you and the press does not pursue you? It is fearsome to fall wordlessly out of the public eye. We tend to think of entertainment stars first of all, but it is fast becoming true of sports stars too, with devastating consequences that have wrecked the lives of many of our icons. Virat Kohli, the Indian cricketer, brought the issue center stage by talking about his bout with depression. Naomi Osaka, the 27-year-old tennis star who won the Grand Slam four times and earned $55 million one year, also has dramatized the issue. She joined the 2021 French Open by saying she would not answer reporters’ queries. When she was fined $15,000 for spurning her media responsibilities, she left the tournament, declaring that her mental health was more important. Bravo! Many of us do not realize the mounting stress of being constantly in the public eye. Journalists naturally respond to the public’s interest and delve more and more into the stars’ lives. New technology only makes such delving more invidious. It is not easy either to juggle the conflicting demands of business sponsorship. Add to that the phenomenon of unreasonable, uncontrolled fans who threaten stars’ safety or their normal life. Soccer prodigy Lionel Messi, swimming champion Michael Phelps and famous gymnast Aly Reisman all have spoken of serious psychological quandaries.