Opinion | Getting used to fleeting fame

This is how the hype machine works. Take one precocious and athletically gifted youngster whose dominant feats become magnified because they occur on their sport's biggest stage. Throw in the fact that the athlete is charismatic, photogenic, engaging, intelligent and, most importantly, very marketable. Shake, stir and voila; a media sensation is born.

It doesn't take long these days either. Social media being what it is, the feats go viral in seconds, global exposure is instantaneous and before you know it said athlete is not only getting a congratulatory tweet from US First Lady Michelle Obama but is on the cover of Sports Illustrated and playing in front of record crowds on nationally broadcast games that also smash previous viewing numbers. It's phenom time and while the fame is now there, fortune would surely soon follow with lucrative endorsement deals and a multimillion-dollar contract seemingly the order of the day.

There is, however, one problem. The dominant athlete causing the sensation is all of 13 years old and playing in the boys' Little League World Series (LLWS). And on top of all that, she's also a girl. Two weeks ago few people outside of Philadelphia knew who Mo'ne Davis was. But after throwing a shutout in a regional qualifier a few days earlier, Mo'ne tossed a two-hit shutout featuring eight strikeouts and a tailing fastball over 113km/h and became the first female pitcher to ever win a LLWS game.

For a brief moment she became the most famous and followed baseball player in the US. Every one from Good Morning America to The New York Times was badgering her for interviews. ESPN was prominently featuring her in promotions and autograph seekers were besieging her everywhere she went. The cover of Sports Illustrated screamed "MO'NE - Remember her name (As if we could ever forget)." Ever forget? She's 13 years old. She could easily be a has-been by the age of 14. Ah, but the rabid and insatiable vortex of modern-day celebrity asks for no birth certificates and knows no boundaries. By the time Mo'ne prepared to pitch her next game for her Philadelphia team against Las Vegas five days later, a record crowd of over 34,000 was in attendance - 9,000 more than attended the major league game between the Phillies and Mariners that night - as well as 350 media members and the largest viewing audience ever for a LLWS game watching on ESPN.