History Main / TradeYourPassionForGlory

This can make up entire plots, or just make a backstory for some character who is either the cynic or lost it all. Often happens in a SitCom, sort of overlapping with CompressedVice. In this case, losing it all is how the ResetButton is pressed. This can be TruthInTelevision, although many times it's hard to tell, as it's often fans complaining of SellOut and ItsPopularNowItSucks.

* Mokoyama from ''Manga/YakitateJapan'' got this way when he was hired by St. Pierre, becoming more interested in luxury and makeovers than baking.

* ''Anime/EighteenIf'': Mirei Saegusa attempts to cut off her leg as an attempt to abandon ice-skating because of this trope. She felt the constant pressure from sponsors, fans, and trainers taking the fun out of ice-skating.

[[folder:Film]]

* A theme in ''Film/CitizenKane'', as Kane, a young crusading newspaper owner, becomes "The Man" in his later life.

* ''Film/TwoForTheMoney''. Creator/MatthewMcConaughey is a former athlete who becomes a successful sports betting advisor due to his knowledge, meticulous research, and expert analysis. Once he reaches the top he becomes so enamoured of his own legend that he stops doing the work that made him so good in the first place.
* The main theme of ''Film/TheCandidate''. Bill [=McKay=] is an idealistic liberal crusader recruited for a Senate campaign that neither he nor his campaign manager thinks he has any chance of winning--the idea is that simply by running, Bill will raise awareness of his liberal causes. However, as the campaign unfolds, it turns out that Bill ''does'' have a chance to win. Faced with the chance to actually be a senator, Bill rapidly starts making compromises and selling out his principles. In the end, he wins but he's sold his soul and has no idea what to do.
* In ''Film/TheCitadel'', Andrew Manson starts out as a crusading young doctor doing pioneering research in tuberculosis. But this leaves him hungry and broke, so he sells out and joins a practice catering to rich hypochondriacs. He earns a lot of money but feels guilty.
* Jack from ''Film/LAConfidential'' is a brilliant police detective but he's gotten used to living the Hollywood lifestyle because he's on the take and he consults for a TV police drama. The Night Owl murder investigation reinvigorates him. [[spoiler:He is killed by his corrupt chief when he finds a clue.]]
* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Yoda tells Luke that part of the reason the Jedi fell was that the Order had lost touch with their spiritual and peaceful ways, allowing themselves to become mired in political and material matters while acting as peacekeepers for the Republic.
* This is the main plot of the second half of ''Film/TheGreatestShowman'', when Barnum begins neglecting his circus and its ideals in favor of being accepted by “respectable” high society.
* The “Broadway Melody” number of ''Film/SinginInTheRain'' focuses on a young Broadway dancer who falls in love with an unattainable girl, eventually becoming famous in order to pursue her, and forgetting that the reason he came to Broadway in the first place was just because he loved dancing.
* ''Film/TheBigChill'' has this as a major theme. All of the characters (except for Chloe, the younger girlfriend of Alex) were activists when they were younger. When they all get together for [[DrivenToSuicide Alex's funeral]], they worry they've sold out and abandoned the ideals they used to hold in the 1960's; all except Harold, who claims getting out in the real world was the best thing that ever happened to him.

* This is Serge the {{Fairy God|mother}}father's personal conflict in ''Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella''. Fairy godparents were originally part of a guild that helped children in need, but under the command of the head godmother Jewels, the guild turned into a business. By the events of the book, the godparents are catering as magical beauticians to {{Spoiled Brat}}s while requests from poorer people get pushed back indefinitely. Serge is only still around so he can rise up the chain of command and be an InternalReformist. He kicks off the plot and answers the request Ella's late mother submitted on a spur of inspiration to do the job he loves again.

* Ace Hardlight in ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked'' was once a genuine hero but fell into a depression after a mission gone awry resulted in the destruction of his home. Sometime after this, he met Gleeman Vox and became a contestant on Dreadzone, killing other heroes for glory and fame. After losing and being scolded by Ratchet he finally snaps out of it, warning him not to let Vox do the same thing to him.

* This is one of the major themes of ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird''. The Saints have become just as much of a media empire as a gang, and they've grown soft as a result, allowing The Syndicate to nearly take them out. The rest of the game is about regaining their edge. [[spoiler: Canonically, they go right back to their old ways after defeating STAG and running the Syndicate out of town, selling out for glory and fame, culminating in a term in the White House as President by the next game.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' has a variant in one episode where artsy Jane gets a job doing copies of famous pictures for some easy money. She soon loses motivation to do her own original work and is noticeably stung when a customer notes that her technique is becoming lazy.
* Pirate Captain in ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesInAnAdventureWithScientists'' actually trades his TeamPet(who turns out to be a surviving Dodo) for a load of treasure just to win Pirate of the Year.
* ''WesternAnimation/ArthurChristmas'' turned out to have three generations of Santas fall into this. In the end, they remember Christmas is about the children, not their inflated egos.

--> '''Mickey:''' "The worst thing that happened to you, that can happen to any fighter: you got civilized."

* The TropeNamer is ''Film/RockyIII'''s anthem "Eye of the Tiger" by Music/{{Survivor}}. The song is basically a summary of Rocky's meteoric rise and subsequent BadassDecay during the film. Of course, it also details Rocky's triumphant comeback as he regains his killer instinct, the titular "eye of the tiger."

* A theme in ''Film/CitizenKane'', as Kane, a young crusading newspaper owner, becomes TheMan in his later life.

* The protagonists of ''VideoGame/Persona5'' initially start their escapades to protect themselves and others from the "assholes" in power that abuse the weak. Once they realize that Mementos is unlocked as the Phantom Thieves get more ingrained in the public consciousness, they also try to go after high profile targets to raise public support for their mission of social change. However, they start to buy into their own hype around the time they [[spoiler: "defeat" Medjed]], and their goals shift from social reform to popularity, making them more of a fad than true reformers. [[spoiler:It turns out this was all part of a BatmanGambit by Masayoshi Shido and TheConspiracy to discredit the Phantom Thieves by framing them for murder after their target dies on TV. Though the Phantom Thieves were set up and didn't actually kill anyone, the public thinks they did, and support for the Phantom Thieves plummets. This can also happen permanently in the final bad ending, wherein Joker abandons his principles and sides with Yaldabaoth, the totalitarian God who's been manipulating everyone behind the scenes.]]

* Pirate Captain in ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesInAnAdventureWithScientists'' actually trades his TeamPet (who turns out to be a surviving Dodo) for a load of treasure just to win Pirate of the Year.

* In ''VideoGame/DeadRising2: Off the Record'', Frank West got so caught up in the fame he got from the events of ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' that all he was doing was talk shows and publicity events. Soon his FifteenMinutesOfFame are up and he has to rediscover what made him famous in the first place, being an awesome [[IntrepidReporter photojournalist]] and zombie-slaying hero.

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Videl explains that after Mr. Satan became world famous, he got so caught up the money, prestige, and women that he stopped training. Gohan sensed that Videl was already stronger and more skilled in martial arts than Mr. Satan.
* ''Manga/TigerMask'' propose an interesting variant: at one point Tiger Mask ''did'' stop training beyond the bare minimum and lost his edge, but it was ''because'' the reason he was fighting, namely [[SavingTheOrphanage paying the bills for the orphanage where he grew up, before Tiger's Cave]], got him caught in a series of matches for his NWA Maskmen World Champion belt and just didn't have ''time'' to train, and by the time he got to the eighth and last challenger, Tiger's Cave wrestler Miracle 3, he wasn't at his best anymore, and once his [[FinishingMove Fujiyama Tiger Breaker]] failed he couldn't fight back effectively and lost. [[LaserGuidedKarma Winning backfired horribly on Miracle 3]], as losing gave Tiger Mask the time to train himself back into shape (becoming a match for Miracle 3) and devise the Tiger V (that Miracle 3, not having seen before, could not counter), leading to Miracle 3's defeat and [[spoiler:unmasking as a fraud]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' has tycoon Adrian Veidt who uses his former superhero persona Ozymandias as a merchandising juggernaut. Rorschach sees him as a sellout. [[spoiler:He couldn't be more wrong. His obsession with saving the world far outstrips Rorschach's, with tragic results.]]

* ''Film/TwoForTheMoney''. Creator/MatthewMcConaughey is a former athlete who becomes a successful sports betting advisor due to his knowledge, meticulous research and expert analysis. Once he reaches the top he becomes so enamoured of his own legend that he stops doing the work that made him so good in the first place.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* Sophie from ''Series/TheMarvelousMrsMaisel'' is a classically trained thespian whose heart lies in theater. She gets stuck doing a lowbrow ApronMatron comedy schtick that she hates but brings her a fortune because of a bad manager. In the finale of season 2, she fires said manager and hires Susie to try to get to back to what she loves after seeing Susie’s passion for doing right by the titular Mrs. Maisel.

* This is one of the major themes of ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird''. The Saints have become just as much of a media empire as a gang, and they've grown soft as a result, allowing The Syndicate to nearly take them out. The rest of the game is about regaining their edge.

* The protagonists of ''VideoGame/Persona5'' lose sight of their original goals as they try to win support from the public. Going after more high profile targets to win public support, unintentionally turning themselves into a fad rather than true social reformists in the public's eyes. [[spoiler:It turns out this was all part of a BatmanGambit by Masayoshi Shido and TheConspiracy to discredit the Phantom Thieves by framing them for murder after their target dies on TV. Though the Phantom Thieves were set up and didn't actually kill anyone, the public thinks they did, and support for the Phantom Thieves plummets. This can also happen permanently in the final bad ending, wherein Joker abandons his principles and sides with Yaldabaoth, the totalitarian God who's been manipulating everyone behind the scenes.]]

* The TropeNamer is ''Film/RockyIII'''s anthem "[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Eye Of The Tiger]]" by Music/{{Survivor}}. The song is basically a summary of Rocky's meteoric rise and subsequent BadassDecay during the film. Of course, it also details Rocky's triumphant comeback as he regains his killer instinct, the titular "eye of the tiger."

* The protagonists of ''VideoGame/Persona5'' lose sight of their original goals as they try to win support from the public. Going after more high profile targets to win public support, unintentionally turning themselves into a fad rather than true social reformists in the public's eyes. [[spoiler:It turns out this was all part of a BatmanGambit by Masayoshi Shido and TheConspiracy to discredit the Phantom Thieves by framing them for murder after their target dies on TV. Though the Phantom Thieves were set up and didn't actually kill anyone, the public thinks they did, and support for the Phantom Thieves plummets.]]

* ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'' reveals this has happened to ''the entire playable cast'' bar Cloud. Even Vincent, who puts up a gunslinger of a fight against the antagonists and seems to honestly be in better shape than the rest, refuses to hop in the fight and forces everyone else to sit back and watch.

A character becomes successful in an activity, promptly lets success go to his or her head, and then loses the drive that made him or her successful in the first place.

Say Bob is a talented singer/songwriter. He got it from years of practice and determination, and eventually gets noticed for it. He gets a cushy contract, and women are all over him. Soon he loses the determination to make good songs, and only cares about the money and the prestige, rejecting the idea of DoingItForTheArt even when he can afford to do potentially unprofitable side projects.

What happens then can vary. He might become a {{Jerkass}} to his friends, or a jerk to everyone else. He might start losing his skill and have to take drugs just to get on stage. He might lose his contract and his money, and either learn an {{Aesop}} or spend the rest of his life moping about his GloryDays. He might even keep all those, and get a job as a music executive where he's totally cynical to anyone [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids new who thinks this is "just about the music"]].

* ''Anime/EighteenIf'': Mirei Saegusa attempts to cut off her leg as an attempt to abandon ice-skating because of this trope. She felt the constant pressure from sponsors, fans and trainers taking the fun out of ice-skating.

* The main theme of ''Film/TheCandidate''. Bill [=McKay=] is an idealistic liberal crusader recruited for a Senate campaign that neither he nor his campaign manager thinks he has any chance of winning--the idea is that simply by running, Bill will raise awareness of his liberal causes. However, as the campaign unfolds, it turns out that Bill ''does'' have a chance to win. Faced with the chance to actually be a senator, Bill rapidly starts making compromises and selling out his principles. In the end he wins, but he's sold his soul and has no idea what to do.
* In ''Film/TheCitadel'', Andrew Manson starts out as a crusading young doctor doing pioneering research in tuberculosis. But this leaves him hungry and broke, so he sells out and joins a practice catering to rich hypochondriacs. He earns a lot of money, but feels guilty.

* ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'': Gatsby had a lot of dreams and wanted to do a lot of great things, but his infautation with StepfordSmiler Daisy led him to become millionaire by being a smuggler:
--> ''Well, there I was, way off my ambitions, getting deeper in love every minute, and all of a sudden I didn't care. What was the use of doing great things if I could have a better time telling her what I was going to do?''

* The TropeNamer is ''Film/RockyIII'''s anthem "[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Eye Of The Tiger]]" by Music/{{Survivor}}. The song is basically a summary of Rocky's meteoric rise and subsequent BadassDecay during the film. Of course it also details Rocky's triumphant comeback as he regains his killer instinct, the titular "eye of the tiger."

* Many stories in the WWF/WWE highlight this trope as the frequent downfall of heels (and occasionally faces) who have been champions for long periods of time. Eventually a combination of arrogance and complacency lands them a defeat at the hands of their title hungry rival.
** Stone Cold's infamous FaceHeelTurn had him ally with ArchEnemy Wrestling/VinceMcMahon to claim the title at Wrestlemania 17. However Austin's main drive was largely to torment and harass Vince and his allies. His BadassDecay got to the point where Vince himself was actively trying to provoke him into attacking him so he'd snap out of it. Fittingly Austin did eventually return to his [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor old self]] by [[ChronicBackStabbingDisorder screwing]] Vince and the ''entire'' WWF - by handing a win to WCW, no less.

* Ace Hardlight in ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked'' was once a genuine hero, but feel into a depression after a mission gone awry resulted in the destruction of his home. Some time after this he met Gleeman Vox and became a contestant on Dreadzone, killing other heroes for glory and fame. After losing and being scolded by Ratchet he finally snaps out of it, warning him not to let Vox do the same thing to him.

* The protagonists of ''VideoGame/Persona5'' lose sight of their original goals as they try to win support from the public. Going after more high profile targets to win public support, unintentionally turning themselves into a fad rather then true social reformists in the public's eyes. [[spoiler:It turns out this was all part of a BatmanGambit by Masayoshi Shido and TheConspiracy to discredit the Phantom Thieves by framing them for murder after their target dies on TV. Though the Phantom Thieves were set up and didn't actually kill anyone, the public thinks they did, and support for the Phantom Thieves plummets.]]
* This is one of the major themes of ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird''. The Saints have become just as much media empire as gang, and they've grown soft as a result, allowing The Syndicate to nearly take them out. The rest of the game is about regaining their edge.

* ''WesternAnimation/ArthurChristmas'' turned out to have three generations of Santas fall into this. In the end they remember Christmas is about the children, not their inflated egos.

* Ace Hardlight in ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked''.

* This is Serge the {{Fairy God|mother}}father's personal conflict in ''Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella''. Fairy godparents were originally part of a guild that helped children in need, but under the command of the head godmother Jewels, the guild turned into a business. By the events of the book, the godparents are catering as magical beauticians to {{Spoiled Brat}}s while requests from poorer people get pushed back indefinitely. Serge is only still around so he can rise through the chain of command be an InternalReformist. He kicks off the plot and answers the request Ella's late mother submitted on a spur of inspiration to do the job he loves again.