Ignoring Bobby entirely, because, well, boring. I've sat and mulled over the post above and reflected on it a bit, and I've come to the conclusion it's not really a goady question at all, there is a serious point in there.
Avoiding the sports dimension as although you see words like hero, and legendary tossed around and undoubtedly some of them are role models to the young it's easier to focus on the myths, legends and stories we tell ourselves.
A hero is, or should be someone that stands up for the weak and vulnerable, the obvious answer is that too many men lack the courage to either wade in when they see the violence occurring, or perhaps more importantly step up and question the societal landscape that seeks to minimise or ignore the problem. In fact it may well be linked, if we don't stand up against it we are bieng cowards, so we try to pretend it isn't there so we do not have to feel bad about ourselves. Rather we can live vicariously through our heroes on page and screen.
I'm afraid I cannot claim to have had the crap beaten out of me over this, but I am reminded of an occasion where some friends and I were sat down enjoying our chosen science fiction show of that evening when we heard a woman's scream come up from outside, we all thundered down the stairs, and it jumped into my mind I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do, I had the misfortune of having been sat closest to the door, and as such was about to be faced by God knows what hulking monstrosity outside. However luckily the woman who was being attacked was doing such a sterling job of smacking the thug soundly with her umbrella, he ran off. She was my hero that night I tell you.
I think it also goes to show something else that is entirely appropriate, although heroes protect the weak, I think there is something inherently wrong with associating women with weakness, also examining some of those stories where the man saves the woman there is the danger of seeing women as prizes/property, and not active agents working against malignant forces in their own right (as fortunately happened in my own little adventure!). In short women can be heroic too.