I might be late to the show here, but all this talk about how athletes are unapproachable really bothers me.
I used to live in San Antonio, and I was able to meet the triplets at a preseason game at the alamodome against the Oilers (1995). They only played a possession that game, so they had plenty of time to address some of the fans (I was in club seats, thanks to my uncle being the VP of Builders Square at the time). I sat and talked to them for a good 15 minutes (I distinctively remember Irvin making fun of my clothes
), and they were all very jovial. At no point did I feel these three were "above me," nor did I feel "starstruck" when talking to them.
Now, I live just outside of DC, and see plenty of Commanders, especially during the night scene. I've talked with Jansen quite a few times, and he always comes off as a great guy, even when I rib him as a Cowboy fan. Probably like the OP, you speak with jest; they rib the Cowboys, you rib the 'Skins.
I met Marcus Washington at a bar in Sterling, VA and talked with him a bit. I remember him being amazed because, although I was a "hated" Cowboy fan, I wasn't being a complete dick to him; I told him I knew he was a damn good player when he was with Indy, and I hated that he joined the 'Skins. You would be surprised how many of these players are content just to sit and chat with someone who won't treat them like they're above everyone else. As the OP said, as a "man to another man."
I remember when I went back home to San Antonio in Parcell's first year for Training Camp. I met Roy Williams at a bar on the Riverwalk, and chatted with him for a bit before a TV crew came to interview him. It was no big deal; and I don't know why some people on this forum are making it out to be.