Are we past the Golden Ages of sport?
In the words of an English teacher of mine, “elaborate.”
Well okey dokey. I wondered to myself watching the Aussies getting beaten up by the Indians if the Golden Age of sports people has passed us by. I refer of course to personalities, players of various codes that were larger than life, legends, role models, part of folklore. I could barely name an Australian cricketer let alone most of the Indian team, but then I’m not a huge cricket fan. Fan, yes, huge maybe, but not the world’s largest fan.
The meandering labyrinth that I call a brain led me to think about other sports. NFL is a good example. In years past I have watched with interest the NFL Playoffs; this year apart from Tom Brady, who is playing? Golf has more personality-less robots than a car factory. The NHL is filled with people I couldn’t name. MLB is the same. Football seems to be going the same way and my beloved Rugby is becoming more that way.
In the old days – not so old really, sporting teams had legends. Diego Maradona, Jackie Stewart, Colin Meads, Mark McGuire, Steve Davis, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretsky, Michael Jordan, Arnold Palmer, Richard Hadlee, Shane Warne, Doug Ford, Gerald Davies, John McEnroe, George Best, Greg Norman, Viv Richards, Jaomir Jagr, Payne Stewart and many more are all examples of great personalities in their fields. Sport seems to have lost SOME of that. There are still the standouts like Usain Bolt and the Williams sisters but it seems to have been disallowed.
I’m going to offer some reasons as to why. Bear in mind these are my opinions only!
The money. There is soooo much money involved in sports worldwide that a wrong step or terse comment can mean you lose mega-bucks in fines or sponsorship deals. Tom Brady makes $392,000USD a week from his playing contract alone. Wayne Rooney was reported to have made 300,000 pounds a week. Dan Carter was making a relatively tiny 28,000 a week in France. The people that pay these amounts no doubt want their brand to be the best it can be and can’t have sports stars speaking their minds or being square pegs.
The choice. There is so much choice for sports fans now. In New Zealand where the traditional sports were Rugby and Cricket, now we have a multitude of codes to follow. And, within those codes, multiple variants on the game. We simply can’t idolise everyone.
Social Media. Social media is a way for fans to interact directly with stars but has quickly become the den of haters and trolls who use these platforms for abuse and vitriol. Sports stars remain beige as to not offend. If they do, however, it’s headline news.
Officials. Referees. Umpires. They are almost untouchable now. For fear of suspension or fines the officials get off Scott-free.
Contact. I think the stars of yesteryear were approachable and regular too. It would be a cold day in hell before you got to have a beer with the superstars of today. I can remember having a beer with the great Pinetree Meads on one occasion, Danyon Loader on another. They happened to be good at what they did but weren’t treated any differently. I think stars now get told they’re invincible from a young age and money is thrust upon them, then everyone wonders why they step out of line from time to time.
So, I hold a special place in my heart for those stars who push the boundaries of expectation. A special place for those who don’t fit the mold. A special place for those who are themselves with no apologies. Don’t get me wrong, bad behaviour is bad behaviour, but having a good time and being yourself doesn’t constitute this. I remember Ali Williams and Sonny-Bill horsing around at a press conference during the 2011 World Cup and being lambasted for it. Why? They were young men having fun and playing footy. More of it needed.
I’d love to hear what others think.
I read this just now – after writing mine – it seems I’m not alone. http://performancecomms.com/blog/uk-media-culture-killing-sports-personalities
Thank you to Emma Ramsey http://performancecomms.com/team/uk-team/emma-ramsay
mysportingvoice.com 