Iker Casillas and Sara Carbonero

Our discussion in class about the couple sparked a little bit of interest in what the controversy was surrounding the kiss between soccer start Iker Casillas and one of "the world's sexiest reporters," Sara Carbonero. The two became a popular couple during the 2010 World Cup not because of this kiss, but because of a loss Spain suffered during their game against Sweden. Many English newspapers such as The Time hinted that Sara's presence and commentary at the game distracted Iker and caused him to let the game winning shot pass by him (Iker being a goalie). Spanish newspapers attempted to defend Sara and called the claims outrageous. I find it interesting that these two are capable of maintaining a relationship despite the fact that their jobs consistently cross paths with each other. I personally feel that the kiss the two shared after the national team finally won the World Cup win was both an in-the-moment swell of emotion, but was also Iker's way of getting back at the paper's and showing that his relationship wasn't a distraction like the papers made it seem.

However this incident did make me notice something about Spanish celebrities. It seems that here, reporters and newscasters are their own class of celebrity. Don't get me wrong, in America we do have our handful of famous reporters, but many of these reporters are only famous for that aspect. They don't gain fame from anywhere else or get reported about in tabloids and newspapers. It is also very rare that their personal lives such as who they are dating is focused on heavily but Sara Carbonero is the second Spanish reporter I've heard of who became famous for their reporting, but also became famous due to their relationships. The first was Letizia Ortiz, who although she was already famous due to her career, became even more famous after her marriage to Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso, the Prince of Asturias.
 

American reporters never achieve the same level of fame as the reporters in Spain. I believe this is mainly because of how important current events is in Spanish culture. Although Americans watch the news everyday, in Spain it is more centralized as a part of the daily lifestyle, so much so that families eat dinner and watch the news at the same time. In America, the news is shown right around a child's bedtime and is watched as parents are getting ready to go to bed. Because the news is so important, newscasters became household names, eventually leading to fame.