In The News Today ....

By Thinkindave
Another day another story about a once-revered sportsperson found drugged to the eyeballs and shagging a slightly-over-the-hill model in some seedy nightclub toilet. Once again newspapers are splashed with images of the accused, complete with rented suit, sunglasses and entourage in tow, underlined by the stern words of yet another “shocked and disappointed” former coach. Once again I am forced to ask myself, “Why are we still surprised?!”

I fail to see why these ‘late night incidents’ should rate a mention at all. Do we not realise that this is what you get when you provide young men and women who compete in high-adrenaline sports with an exorbitant salary, a limited time in which to enjoy it, and then mercilessly scrutinise their personal activities?

I’m sure if we were to put many members of the “outraged” public in a similar situation they would (and often do) put the exploits of these professional sportspeople to shame. The only surprise to me, it seems, is that we do not see such headlines more often.

I am wholeheartedly unconvinced by the argument that their behaviour should be held to higher standards simply because they have been deemed role models for our youth. Why any child should model their behaviour on that of a fully grown man who chases an irregularly shaped ball around an oval for a living is beyond me. They have been elevated to this status by the same money-hungry media that now seeks to cut them down in order to profit further. Their actions should be left to their family and friends to judge, not used as bait for gossip-hungry readers.

There is, of course, an argument which states that as these people are in the public eye that they should therefore accept a certain amount of responsibility for their actions. And perhaps they should. I am not saying that players should be given free reign and that the authorities should turn a blind eye to their exploits. Rather, I am saying that people should understand the situation which these players are in and perhaps take a good look around their own glass houses before throwing any proverbial stones.

Posted 2 July 08 in News