Normally I write a new post on a Wednesday but after Carlos Tevez's behaviour on Tuesday night I knew exactly what the topic for my post would be and therefore wanted to leave it another day to let all parties involved get their views across.
Going by Tevez's behaviour on Tuesday night, from the way it looked at the time in this video, you would not blame anyone for thinking he is a spoilt brat. Like a baby spitting its dummy,Tevez decided he didn't want to go on because he hadn't started the match.
Tevez denied refusing to play but as a result Man City have now suspended him from training and matches for 2 weeks and manager Roberto Mancini says he will never play for him again. There are many other recent examples too like Serena Williams outburst at the US Open below which resulted in a minor fine of $2,000 (minor to Serena anyway).
There are other examples from older times as well with John McEnroe and Paul Gascoigne being perfect examples.
One of the first points to come from this type of behaviour is the huge salaries these stars are getting. In society we are very quick to state that once a celebrity or sport star behaves out of line or incorrectly its because they have too much money and think they can do anything. We judge this behaviour so harshly because most of us will never see the type of money they get and in frustration we blame it on this.
Another reason people discuss is ego. Some of the players have a massive ego and are waited on hand and foot by sponsors, helpers, staff etc and as a result they think they are untouchable and behave in an inappropriate manner.
On the other side of the coin and sticking up for sports stars is human frailty. These people are not perfect and like everyone else will make mistakes especially due to the huge pressure they are under from fans, clubs and so forth. The only problem is that as they are in the spotlight all the time their mistakes are blown out of proportion and scrutinized in the media. I do believe the media does not help these situations at all and in fact just adds fuel to the fire.
Another reason they can't get away with it is because whether they want to be or not sports stars are role models and have a duty to act appropriately when conducting themselves on and off the field. They have a duty to their fans who in essence help pay their wages. We do not expect them to live like monks, as Arshavin put it, but they should not behave in anyway that fuels this argument despite the celebrity status pressure they face on a daily basis.
People also discuss that sports stars are just a reflection of the society we now live in. When you talk to older generation's they do highlight that young ones today are spoilt brats who do not know how good they get it (ain't that right Grandma!!!). So to a lesser extent we probably behave in ways that can be seen as spoilt brat behaviour by others and just don't realise it. I know and am ashamed to admit that some of my on the field conduct would be heavily scrutinized by the media as spoilt bratish as would my off the field behaviour (the less said about this the better!!!).
In my opinion there are some sports stars who behave like spoilt brats either due to ego, money, temperament or situational factors at the time. Some of these are repeat offenders and get a bad boy/girl image in their sports which then as a result they have to keep up like John McEnroe. I do believe the punishments these stars get are not harsh enough hence why some of them become repeat offenders. A punishment is meant to deter people from behaving he same way but when it is a small fine or suspension these players don't mind incurring that.
However I think there are more examples of sports stars who are well behaved. One perfect example is Paul Scholes who was never in the media for the wrong reasons and just kept his head down and played away. Athletes like Jessica Ennis and Usain Bolt are other examples and there are loads more in all types of sports.
In conclusion I believe that like in society there are some sports stars who are spoilt brats and others who aren't. I think that there are more sports stars who aren't but because the media focuses on those who are we in society have a tendency to paint all sports stars with the one brush. If the media would highlight good behaviour more we may actually see a decline in this type of spoilt brat behaviour as good behaviour would become the norm for sports stars. So to the media - please change your focus and highlight the good not the bad and the ugly!!!
Thursday 29 September 2011
Wednesday 21 September 2011
Addictions in Sport
Recently Oscar De la Hoya, the Golden Boy of boxing, made an open and honest confession that surprised everyone. He confessed to a constant struggle with alcohol and drug abuse within the last few years while also being unfaithful to his now ex wife. De la Hoya has been to rehab and is now sober for the last 3 months but admits that this is the hardest fight of his life, even harder than fighting all the fighters he fought in his career at the same time!
The revelation from De la Hoya surprised a lot of people but at the same time it shouldn't really. We have seen many sporting greats over the years have trouble with addictions, George Best, Alex Higgins, Diego Maradona, Paul Gascoigne and Tiger Woods to name a few.
The problem for sports stars especially with alcohol is that alcohol has been associated with sports probably from they originated and will continue to be so in the future. Regardless of the level and result/performance on a Saturday or Sunday it has always been the norm to drink afterwards. When you lose or perform bad you want to drink to cheer yourself up (like Zac Guilford recently (All Blacks player)) and when you win you want to drink to celebrate. Soccer and Rugby for example have huge drinking cultures associated with them for years and probably in the past players may have had addictions but nobody found out as there wasn't as much media exposure.
Nowadays players are always exposed to the media and with this comes added pressure. With this exposure players are seen as celebrities and with celebrity status comes constant invitations to parties and the lure of harder substances such as drugs are constantly around them. It's easy for sports stars to get drawn into a world they are not used to and as a result resort to things they are not accustomed to.
Sports stars can have alot of free time on their hands when they are not training or in the off season which can leave them with a void to fill as the excitement of training or matches isn't there. It is known within the soccer world that players after training in some clubs have a poker game. Others will turn to other things such as drink and drugs. Addictions in boxing are known to start at the end of a boxers career. The reason for this is that their lives feel empty without having a hectic schedule of training or the excitement of the build up to a fight and the fight itself so they fill this with something else. Sports stars get paid huge sums of money these days and with this there isn't alot they cant afford to buy. The cost of these habits does not impact them anymore and in fact money probably pushes them towards them because they are not used to having so much money and with all this money they probably get addicted even quicker.
Society today is getting faster and more hectic with more and more addictions popping up as people try to cope with their lives. In the world of sport it is even harder for them due to the media exposure and pressure they are faced with. I am not making excuses for sports stars but everyone can see the constant temptation they would be facing as even the people around them may be forcing stuff onto them. I think sports stars need the excitement and thrill outside their sporting lives. Some get it from investing money into other business and horses but for alot of them this comes from drinking, drug abuse, gambling and so forth. What eventually happens is that they become too fixated on this aspect of their lives and eventually become addicted.
Some sport stars like Barry McGuigan, Muhammed Ali, Christiano Ronaldo and Darren Fletcher to name a few are teetotallers and have their reasons for this. In some cases this has probably helped them get to the pinnacle of their careers and you have to respect them for holding to their guns despite all the pressures they are surrounded with.
Overall I think that sports stars, like everyone in life, have their own demons and pressures and use typical methods within society to combat these. Really sports stars are just a reflection of the society we live in, only difference is that as they are our role models we expect more from them. I think more should be done from a coach/club point of view on the topics of addiction to try and steer sports stars away from these addictions. But as the world evolve's and more addictions come to the fore do not be surprised to see more and more sports stars making the tabloids for the wrong reasons. Hopefully though brave and courageous confessions like De la Hoya's may help other stars admit to their addictions in time or help steer them clear.
The revelation from De la Hoya surprised a lot of people but at the same time it shouldn't really. We have seen many sporting greats over the years have trouble with addictions, George Best, Alex Higgins, Diego Maradona, Paul Gascoigne and Tiger Woods to name a few.
The problem for sports stars especially with alcohol is that alcohol has been associated with sports probably from they originated and will continue to be so in the future. Regardless of the level and result/performance on a Saturday or Sunday it has always been the norm to drink afterwards. When you lose or perform bad you want to drink to cheer yourself up (like Zac Guilford recently (All Blacks player)) and when you win you want to drink to celebrate. Soccer and Rugby for example have huge drinking cultures associated with them for years and probably in the past players may have had addictions but nobody found out as there wasn't as much media exposure.
Nowadays players are always exposed to the media and with this comes added pressure. With this exposure players are seen as celebrities and with celebrity status comes constant invitations to parties and the lure of harder substances such as drugs are constantly around them. It's easy for sports stars to get drawn into a world they are not used to and as a result resort to things they are not accustomed to.
Sports stars can have alot of free time on their hands when they are not training or in the off season which can leave them with a void to fill as the excitement of training or matches isn't there. It is known within the soccer world that players after training in some clubs have a poker game. Others will turn to other things such as drink and drugs. Addictions in boxing are known to start at the end of a boxers career. The reason for this is that their lives feel empty without having a hectic schedule of training or the excitement of the build up to a fight and the fight itself so they fill this with something else. Sports stars get paid huge sums of money these days and with this there isn't alot they cant afford to buy. The cost of these habits does not impact them anymore and in fact money probably pushes them towards them because they are not used to having so much money and with all this money they probably get addicted even quicker.
Society today is getting faster and more hectic with more and more addictions popping up as people try to cope with their lives. In the world of sport it is even harder for them due to the media exposure and pressure they are faced with. I am not making excuses for sports stars but everyone can see the constant temptation they would be facing as even the people around them may be forcing stuff onto them. I think sports stars need the excitement and thrill outside their sporting lives. Some get it from investing money into other business and horses but for alot of them this comes from drinking, drug abuse, gambling and so forth. What eventually happens is that they become too fixated on this aspect of their lives and eventually become addicted.
Some sport stars like Barry McGuigan, Muhammed Ali, Christiano Ronaldo and Darren Fletcher to name a few are teetotallers and have their reasons for this. In some cases this has probably helped them get to the pinnacle of their careers and you have to respect them for holding to their guns despite all the pressures they are surrounded with.
Overall I think that sports stars, like everyone in life, have their own demons and pressures and use typical methods within society to combat these. Really sports stars are just a reflection of the society we live in, only difference is that as they are our role models we expect more from them. I think more should be done from a coach/club point of view on the topics of addiction to try and steer sports stars away from these addictions. But as the world evolve's and more addictions come to the fore do not be surprised to see more and more sports stars making the tabloids for the wrong reasons. Hopefully though brave and courageous confessions like De la Hoya's may help other stars admit to their addictions in time or help steer them clear.
Wednesday 14 September 2011
All Ireland GAA Final Preview
To a lot of people the only Sundays in September that matter are the first and third when the All Ireland Hurling and Gaelic Football Finals are played. Two weeks ago in the hurling final Kilkenny edged Tipperary by 4 points although despite the low margin it seemed like there was a wider gap in the game. Kilkenny put in one of the best performances in recent times to inflict revenge on a young and hungry Tipperary team who are an odds on bet to dominate for a few years (although Kilkenny will have something to say about that!).
This Sunday is the turn of the footballers when Kerry and Dublin meet in a mouth watering clash. When Kerry met Cork in the Munster Final this year, the game was that high of a calibre that everyone thought the All Ireland Final would be a repeat of this. However this year was a refreshing year in which the backdoor system saw all provincial winners make the semi finals and personally I think this is the way it should be. Connacht champions Mayo put an end to Corks challenge of 2 in a row. At this stage Dublin put on one of the best displays of fluent attacking football combined with a massive work ethic to beat a Tyrone team that many had tipped as this years surprise package. Kerry won their quarter final by 13 points against Limerick but didn't really get out of second or third gear and with these performances everyone seen the two teams that should make the final and this is what happened.
There is a lot of history between these teams and if asked at the start of the year I am sure a lot of people would have picked this as their dream final. Both teams have a high work ethic and great forward lines. Dublin can be a little defensive at times and with this then they try to break quick. Kerry on the other hand play their usual brand of attractive and somewhat traditional football with their long kick passing game. This will be an interesting clash of styles and I am expecting a very fast paced game.
When these teams last met in the Championship in the 2009 Quarter Final everyone heavily tipped Dublin due to the form there were in. However a relentless Kerry turned up that day and won the game by a massive margin of 17 points. Dublin have been known over the years to crack under pressure, they are like the England nation soccer team in that every year the media exert huge expectations onto them. However this year has not been as bad as previous years and I believe this is one of the reasons Dublin have reached the final this year. Despite throwing away a massive lead against Cork and losing the League final this year there is a steely determination and self belief in this crop of players that has not been there in recent years. This was epitomised in their semi final win with 14 men against a very defensive Donegal team.
The problem Dublin faces is that Kerry have a habit of starting games at an electric pace and blowing teams away early. If this is the case on Sunday it won't be long before the massive Dublin support get on their players backs and then they might crack under the huge pressure. So it is imperative that Dublin make a good start not just for themselves but for the neutrals watching as well as we want a close nail biting game.
Kerry have the best forward line in the country. Their six forwards all compliment each other with their skill, work ethic and passing and running games. If one or two forwards don't play well the others step up to the mark. This can not be said about Dublin. If the Brogans have a bad game I can't see any of the other forwards stepping to the plate. Diarmuid Connolly did against Tyrone but in every other game he has been quiet.
With all this I will go with the bookies and tip Kerry to win yet another All Ireland title. There is nothing more they would like than to beat Dublin in an All Ireland Final in Dublin's back yard. I think they will have too much fire power for the Dublin back line to handle and if they curb the threat of the Brogan brothers I believe they could win this game by a bigger margin than a lot of people would expect, especially if they make one of their blistering starts. If Dublin succeed in getting enough men behind the ball and stop Kerry's running game (which consists of short passing to the half way line and then long balls in front of their forward line) then I think Kerry will go to plan B and put the ball on top of Donaghy and get the forwards to play of him. Donaghy is due a big game this year and there is no better time than the All Ireland Final.
Finally, I am going to put my neck on the line and pick Kerry by 5 points or more with Kieran Donaghy receiving the man of the match award. If this happens don't worry I won't say I told you so!!
This Sunday is the turn of the footballers when Kerry and Dublin meet in a mouth watering clash. When Kerry met Cork in the Munster Final this year, the game was that high of a calibre that everyone thought the All Ireland Final would be a repeat of this. However this year was a refreshing year in which the backdoor system saw all provincial winners make the semi finals and personally I think this is the way it should be. Connacht champions Mayo put an end to Corks challenge of 2 in a row. At this stage Dublin put on one of the best displays of fluent attacking football combined with a massive work ethic to beat a Tyrone team that many had tipped as this years surprise package. Kerry won their quarter final by 13 points against Limerick but didn't really get out of second or third gear and with these performances everyone seen the two teams that should make the final and this is what happened.
There is a lot of history between these teams and if asked at the start of the year I am sure a lot of people would have picked this as their dream final. Both teams have a high work ethic and great forward lines. Dublin can be a little defensive at times and with this then they try to break quick. Kerry on the other hand play their usual brand of attractive and somewhat traditional football with their long kick passing game. This will be an interesting clash of styles and I am expecting a very fast paced game.
When these teams last met in the Championship in the 2009 Quarter Final everyone heavily tipped Dublin due to the form there were in. However a relentless Kerry turned up that day and won the game by a massive margin of 17 points. Dublin have been known over the years to crack under pressure, they are like the England nation soccer team in that every year the media exert huge expectations onto them. However this year has not been as bad as previous years and I believe this is one of the reasons Dublin have reached the final this year. Despite throwing away a massive lead against Cork and losing the League final this year there is a steely determination and self belief in this crop of players that has not been there in recent years. This was epitomised in their semi final win with 14 men against a very defensive Donegal team.
The problem Dublin faces is that Kerry have a habit of starting games at an electric pace and blowing teams away early. If this is the case on Sunday it won't be long before the massive Dublin support get on their players backs and then they might crack under the huge pressure. So it is imperative that Dublin make a good start not just for themselves but for the neutrals watching as well as we want a close nail biting game.
Kerry have the best forward line in the country. Their six forwards all compliment each other with their skill, work ethic and passing and running games. If one or two forwards don't play well the others step up to the mark. This can not be said about Dublin. If the Brogans have a bad game I can't see any of the other forwards stepping to the plate. Diarmuid Connolly did against Tyrone but in every other game he has been quiet.
With all this I will go with the bookies and tip Kerry to win yet another All Ireland title. There is nothing more they would like than to beat Dublin in an All Ireland Final in Dublin's back yard. I think they will have too much fire power for the Dublin back line to handle and if they curb the threat of the Brogan brothers I believe they could win this game by a bigger margin than a lot of people would expect, especially if they make one of their blistering starts. If Dublin succeed in getting enough men behind the ball and stop Kerry's running game (which consists of short passing to the half way line and then long balls in front of their forward line) then I think Kerry will go to plan B and put the ball on top of Donaghy and get the forwards to play of him. Donaghy is due a big game this year and there is no better time than the All Ireland Final.
Finally, I am going to put my neck on the line and pick Kerry by 5 points or more with Kieran Donaghy receiving the man of the match award. If this happens don't worry I won't say I told you so!!
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