Shocking is the word in sport this week, and I'm not talking about the winner of the Melbourne Cup.
I'm talking about the shocking revelations ex-athletes feel they must commit to paper in their life stories, which are conveniently launching in time for the Christmas market.
We all know that the biography business relies on juicy gossip and tell-all tales in order to sell. In order to avoid their books from gathering dust on the shelves of stores around the world, athletes go deep into their closets to find a skeleton that has miraculously remained hidden behind their athletic shoes and sweaty jock straps.
I'm amazed that high-profile athletes have kept secrets from the paparazzi for so long in a society that consumes, scrutinises, criticises and dissects celebrity lives ferociously.
Andre Agassi has done a wonderful job of creating the right mix of controversy and curiosity prior to his autobiography, Open, being launched. And open he has been with confessions that he snorted crystal meth, lied to tennis authorities after a positive drug test result and hated tennis, and that he really did believe in his motto that image is everything, to the point of wearing a wig while playing.
During the early stages of his career Agassi symbolised the transformation in sport and society from substance to style, from naive amateur-ethos sport to hyper-commercialised professional sport.
As the new boy on the block, Agassi shoved all of the values and attitudes of capitalist America on to the conservative tennis world. He did this by portraying a certain image, which included denim shorts, neon shirts, a mullet and - heaven forbid - dangly earrings.
He also brought his off-court life into centre-court focus by associating with celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Brooke Shields.
Agassi's playing style was also over the top and he gained the nickname of "The Punisher" as he wore down his opponents with his high-energy style. In hindsight, this coincided with his crystal meth episode.
He practised what he preached in terms of "image is everything" - so why are so many people shocked by his most recent revelations?
Surely, as consumers of sporting characters like Agassi, we are not so naive as to think that these superstar sports people can achieve all of this without being tempted and falling off the virtuous goody-two-shoes wagon. And images are often fake and airbrushed.
On a more cynical note, Agassi's latest endeavour into the literary world is just another chapter in his day-glo life.
When Agassi ditched the toupee and cut off what remained of his mullet, he seemed to embrace a more conservative life (we were all fooled). His image became more subtle, he married the less flamboyant Steffi Graf, and he seemed more real as an athlete, struggling with injuries and form.
Yes, he lied to authorities, as most athletes do when their careers are threatened. No, he wasn't the role model many people thought he was (the label of role model is often imposed on individuals without their consent). Yes, everything he symbolised was fake like shoulder pads and heavy makeup were in the late '80s and early '90s.
Perhaps Agassi is a barometer for the image of sport through the different eras. Nowadays, consumers need controversy to keep their interest, and retired athletes realise that to keep in the lifestyle they're accustomed to or to keep their philanthropic interests ticking over, they need to feed the consumer.
In some cases, being open and honest can satisfy the appetite of the consumer but not those working in the worlds of sport or media.
Joost van der Westhuizen has found out that his confession of extramarital sexual relations and recreational drug-taking has not gone down too well in South Africa, and he has lost his television commentating role as a result.
What will be the fallout for Agassi? Agassi had probably made peace with his demons long before the book was written, so now he is hoping the gamble will pay off. Tennis officials are embarrassed that they have been hoodwinked, and Agassi's fans and followers feel foolish that they fell for the image Agassi upheld for so long.
It seems athletes are willing to put their past reputations on the line if it means their books fly off the shelf. If you don't agree with Agassi's image and lifestyle, don't buy his book and don't ask Santa to put it under the tree or in your stocking this Christmas Eve.
