Sports Science and Medicine:
cult-of-personality
An intense interest in or devotion to a person, idea, or activity. The phrase was originally used to describe the practice of totalitarian regimes in which a leader (e.g. Hitler) was elevated to a position of pre-eminence and presented as a source of all political wisdom, and the architect of all worthwhile political and social actions. The phrase has been applied to pre-eminent, famous sports personalities who have acquired a similar following.
