Mason Cox takes a big mark in his famous preliminary final performance against Richmond last year. Photo: AFL MEDIA

Over the years there have been numerous footballers with whom the media of the time have become obsessed.

You don’t need to think too hard about the reasons for any pre-occupation with the likes of Gary Ablett senior or junior, Chris Judd or Phil Carman. But sometimes there are media fascinations that don’t make as much sense.

At the moment, it seems that every media outlet is falling over themselves to speak to or about Mason Cox. The reasons behind this on paper do add up. He’s six feet 11 in the old imperial measurement system. He’s from Texas in the United States. And up until five years ago, he hadn’t picked up a footy.

But the AFL media (maybe in conjunction with the league itself or of its own volition) has an almost obsessive want not just to label the best players in the league as stars, but to push them into the role of a star player.

Sometimes the initial push can seem hasty, but then finally comes to pass, as has been the case with a player like Shaun Higgins.

There have been the reactionary “stars” (like Richard Tambling), who where on the rise for a very short time, and forgotten very quickly by all except Richmond supporters, who still rue the day Tambling was drafted before “Buddy” Franklin.

The practice of star making seems to be essential to the marketing machine in the US, where the profile photos of a star player like Lebron James will even take the place of his team’s (LA Lakers) own logo.

It seems to be a practice which, like most new ideas that the AFL borrows from our Pacific cousins, is becoming increasingly popular.

An example of this was an ad during last week’s build up to the AFLW grand final, where the names and photos of Erin Phillips and Tayla Harris were under the logos of Adelaide and Carlton respectively.

Not quite at American levels yet, but getting there. I’m not denying that Phillips and Harris are selling points, but surely the fact the game was a grand final could have sold the match.

When it comes to Cox, everything has been covered in trying to sell him to the football public.

In the last couple of years, we have heard numerous interviews with his soccer coach from Cox’s high school, Edward S Marcus. We’ve heard from Travis Ford, the former head coach of the basketball team at his college (Oklahoma State University) about scoring seven points in 57 minutes of college basketball.

His parents have been become known in their own right. Jeanette and Phil have been crossed to in the crowd at home and away games. They have been crossed to in the crowd for finals. At last year’s grand final, there seemed to be a whole film crew positioned right in front of them to get every little reaction from the proud mum and dad.

Of course, it’s not Mason or his parents’ fault that we are having their story shoved down our throats. Narrative building has become the norm, and we the footy loving public are the ones who have to suffer through it.

Mason is a pretty good footballer. He can make a contest, take a good mark. His set shot is not bad. But does a player who averages nine disposals, four marks and one goal per game deserve to garner the type of column space and TV minutes Cox has over the last 18 months?

It’s an interesting case study in the fleeting attention span of the AFL media. I hope for Cox’s sake, his parents and Collingwood supporters, that he can live up to the hype.