"I thrive on the negative" - When Yankees icon Alex Rodriguez opened up about his thirst for media limelight and public attention

Alex Rodriguez is no stranger to the spotlight. For better or worse, Rodriguez lived in the limelight throughout his MLB career and continues to do so during retirement. He made headlines for his on-field brilliance as well as his off-field activities and became accustomed to living in the public eye.

While many find the intensity of the attention too much to handle, Alex Rodriguez seemed to enjoy it. In his 2009 biography, "A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez," Rodgriguez shared his thoughts with Selena Roberts on the media attention and how he handled it. Roberts wrote:

“'I am complicated. Isn’t that better than being simple?' Alex liked thinking of himself as an enigma. It made him feel more dramatic and alluring and worthy of attention. He lived like an A-lister.

"Alex needed to be needed. He liked to be at the heart of the public’s fascination. He staged paparazzi moments—sunbathing himself on a rock in Central Park, wiping his mouth with a hundred-dollar bill at an outdoor café with the lens on him, slowing down his car to let the entertainment press catch him—because he enjoyed the pop-culture fishbowl."

She continued:

"He indulged the TMZ camera crews that followed him on the New York streets with polite 'no comments.'”

"He courted the gamesmanship, resisting their questions while at the same time craving the attention. 'I thrive on the negative,' he said to me in the clubhouse that evening. 'Bring it on.'"

Given the length of his career and the PEDs scandal that tarnished his reputation, there was, at times, more than enough negativity surrounding Alex Rodriguez.

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Alex Rodriguez was suspended by the MLB for 162 games

The much-discussed MLB PED scandal rocked the baseball world. Alex Rodriguez was one of many players who found themselves thrust into the center of the storm.

In 2013, Rodriguez was given a 162-game suspension by the MLB for using PEDs for three years at the Texas Rangers, which started in 2001. He spoke to ESPN in 2009 about using steroids:

"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me, and I needed to perform and perform at a high level every day.

"Back then, (baseball) was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young. I was stupid. I was naive. And I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time. I did take a banned substance. And for that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful."

However, he suggested that while he was responsible, he was not the only one at fault:

"I'm guilty for being negligent, naive, not asking all the right questions. And to be quite honest, I don't know exactly what substance I was guilty of using."

Regardless of how the blame should be allocated, the scandal tarnished Alex Rodriguez's reputation and his legacy in baseball. Largely, due to that, the Yankees icon is yet to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.