Brittney Griner handled airport troll like a pro. Can we finally pay her like one?

The harassment Brittney Griner faced at a Dallas airport over the weekend reinforces just how miserable it must be to be famous.

Think about it: You grow up and realize that you can do something others can’t, and you get rewarded.

Recognition. Accolades. Congratulations.

But fame also brings out idiots. Crabs in a barrel. People who want to remind you that no matter how special society thinks you are, you can be chopped to down to size with one short video.

It makes me wonder whether there shouldn’t be a “stand your ground” law that allows harassment victims to toss trolls under the nearest bridge without fear of prosecution.

Call it the #FAFO (fool around and find out) doctrine?

These trolls are why Griner went to Russia

Her 6-foot-9 stature notwithstanding, it can’t be easy for Griner to be the bigger person in these sorts of situations.

The guy who went after BG apparently gets his jollies on this kind of thing. I don’t know. I’ve never heard of him, and I won’t be increasing his platform by using his name here. But he’s among the reasons Griner was in Russia in the first place.

One of the protections famous people have is wealth, which allows them to insulate themselves from this sort of thing.

Chances are you’ll never see LeBron James in an airport, and his desire to avoid dumb humans with smartphones would have to be one of the reasons for that.

The women of the WNBA don’t make a fraction of the money their NBA counterparts earn, so Griner and others would head overseas to boost their incomes.

Perfectly American: What Brittney Griner's national anthem flip-flop can teach us all

Will this renew the gender equality debate?

WNBA players received a significant salary bump recently.

Can that increase further? Will NBA teams or their business partners respond to this latest frustration by subsidizing women’s teams further so that they can fly private?

What's next for Ja Morant? In NBA star Ja Morant's gun, social media troubles, I see my students – and my younger self

One thing I know for sure is that Griner didn’t take the bait. She handled it the right way. She’s been doing that a lot lately.

The guess here is that this won’t be the last time she’s tested.

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store.

Here’s hoping she actually looks forward to these sorts of encounters as opportunities to teach us how to find joy in difficulties.

As I learned in Sunday school: “Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope doesn’t disappoint” – even if conservative trolls often do.

It must be miserable to be famous, but Griner can show that even misery can lead to good things.

In this case, it’s a renewed debate over gender equality.

Reach columnist Greg Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @SayingMoore

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Griner handled airport troll like a pro. Can we pay her like one?