I think heroes come and go. I know a couple of certified war heroes and they are no different today than you and me. When it was time to make a choice they made the choice to do a thing that made them a 'hero'. That made no particular difference in the rest of their lives.
I really see no particular problem with admiring athletes for what they can do. Most of them not only win the genetic lottery, but work incredibly hard to perfect their craft. The problem comes from thinking that their 'heroic action' makes them somehow better or different than their fellow humans. They aren't.
Thank you for an incredibly well thought and presented post. Just the quality and quantity of the comments speaks volumes to the words you wrote. I'd say you are one of my heroes.
I think your comment speaks to part of what makes heroes who they are. They do what they do out of a desire to help and change wrongs. At the end of the day they are just like you and me and do not seek out recognition for their actions. Thanks for the kind words, I am certainly no hero though.