Among
famous Mormons with high name recognition (excluding recent presidential candidates), retired QB Steve Young probably still ranks near the top, even among non-football fans.
During his Hall of Fame NFL career, Steve Young was widely celebrated both for on-the-field accomplishments, and additionally for being an 'ambassador' for the Church--someone who achieved great (secular) success without (to my knowledge) seriously compromising his LDS beliefs.
Well, other than the 'working on Sundays' thing, that is...
Speaking of which, we might also bring up the not-quite-as-famous, but still relatively well-known story in LDS circles of
Eli Herring who turned down possible NFL fame and fortune simply because...he didn't want to work on Sundays.
Is there a contradiction here? In an alternate universe where Steve Young made the same decision as Bro.Herring, there would have been no NFL career, no Hall of Fame induction, and no Super Bowl MVP. And, no high-profile 'ambassador' for the Church who would serve as a role-model for other LDS youth, and create direct and indirect exposure for the Church in many public ways.
Can we celebrate the 'celebrity' of Steve Young as a famous Mormon, and celebrate the righteous choices made by Eli Herring at the same time, when they, in a sense, directly contradict each other? Can Latter-Day Saints consistently hold up Eli Herring as an example of following the Spirit over possible fame and fortune, AND simultaneously cheer when Church members do seek after and obtain secular fame and fortune, as they can then become high-profile Church 'representatives' to the world?
(Admittedly we're comparing apples and oranges in a way, because Bro.Herring as an offensive lineman would never have achieved the same level of 'fame' in the NFL compared to a quarterback, regardless of how long or well he performed. Still...)
Obviously, I'm not saying we shouldn't celebrate the life and career of Steve Young to whatever extent we feel is appropriate, but I wonder if we recognize the irony of saying about Church members on one hand, "That's great that they eschew fame and fortune in lieu of living a humble, Christ-centered life." and on the other hand, "It's just too bad they're not more famous so people can SEE them leading a humble, Christ-centered life."