New York City-born Alex Rodriguez is on the Yankees' roster of timeless heroes. He is the youngest player to ever hit 500 and 600 runs, breaking Jimmie Foxx and Babe Ruth's records respectively to nail those titles. He is in his 4th year of a 10-year renewed contract with the Yankees, signed with a $275 million price tag that, at the time, was the largest in baseball history.
Yet despite this position of grandeur A-Rod, as he is fondly known, stayed relatively out of the spotlight compared to teammate Derek Jeter. A shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and then the Texas Rangers, A-Rod was picked up by the Yankees in 2004, trading in his #13 (which had been retired by the Yankees for Babe Ruth) for #3 and his position at shortstop, where Jeter was already shining, to a spot at 3rd base.
Trouble started brewing in 2007, when a New York Post article reported that A-Rod had spent an evening in Toronto with a woman who was not his wife, taking her out to dinner, a strip club, and then finally to his hotel, where they were last seen getting onto an elevator. The woman was accused of being a prostitute, though she claimed to be an exotic dancer. A year later, a Daily News report brought Candice Houlihan to light, a former stripper who claimed to have slept with Rodriquez twice while he was still married. Then, in 2009 the Daily News again produced proof that Rodriquez had an expensive and somewhat insatiable appetite for beautiful women: he had utilized the services of the famous madam Kristin Davis' escort agency several times during 2006 and 2007.
This is where the story gets juicy.
We often speculate as to why celebrities cheat on their spouses, pay for dates with escorts or solicit sex for free at clubs. Could it be boredom? A power play? A result of having too much money? The pressure of the public spotlight? Or is it just an inherent sexual drive that is made possible by the combination of all of the above?
For A-Rod, it seems that accessibility might have only been part of this answer.
In 2006 A-Rod met Davis in a Philadelphia gym. Evidently he was quickly taken with her curves, and when he asked for her number, she gave him a card instead: for the newly opened Philly wing of her successful escort service. That night, he paid for a two-hour date with one of her escorts, then continually used her three Manhattan escort services (all of which were evidently legally registered with the IRS).
But throughout the following year of utilizing her company, a heavy flirtation between them continued. Davis found him "hot as hell", but continued to set him up with escorts she thought he might find attractive. It was not until he rejected one of her girls that she agreed to meet him for drinks; the two ended up dating for a while, for free.
In 2010 A-Rod once again worked his way through female employees and went for the proprietress when he was seen with Tiffany Masters, the "old friend" who runs Cabana Candy and Arm Charms, legitimate VIP escort services. Though the two claim only a friendship was forged between them, the tabloids and blogosphere buzzed.
Both women are blonde and voluptuous. But whereas Masters has been voted one of the most beautiful women in Vegas and one of the most likely to have an affair, Davis doesn't exactly fit the bill of a svelte young thing. It may have been the power and prestige over the accessibility that sent A-Rod their way. Or he may have been tired of paying for time with professional escorts, or of being accused of paying for sex.
Not much damage has come from the publications of the baseball star's affairs. Yes, after they were initially discovered he separated with his wife (and the mother of his two kids) in 2008. But along with high-end escorts and promoters he's dated some celebrity elite, including Madonna, Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz. He contributes to charity and has a newly re-energized friendship with Jeter. The discovery of his earlier steroid use seemed to cause a greater scandal in regards to his career than his love of pretty and powerful women.
So maybe, just maybe, in A-Rod's case no one really cares about his sexual desires and explorations. The buzz on fan blogs seems to conclude that no one does, and where the press loves a good dirty story, not much has lasted or done any really deep damage. There are no lengthy public apologies or denials, no huge press conferences.
Which poses the question: is it really anyone's business what our celebrities do when the lights go down?
Sources:
- http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-03-22/gossip/17917912_1_call-girl-friend-four-seasons
- http://www.celebuzz.com/alex-rodriguez-hooker-scandal-s95631/
- http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2009/03/did_a-rod_book_hookers.php
- http://www.popcrunch.com/alex-rodriguez-used-prostitutes-from-spitzer-escort-service/
- http://www.lvrj.com/news/a-rod-connects-with-old-friend-106399033.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Rodriguez