To all the grammar Nazis out there who feel compelled to comment on my posts… it’s time for me to get all Churchillian on you grammatically sensitive supremacists. Read a newspaper… watch the news on TV – journalism isn’t about grammar. The rules don’t apply. I can use whatever phraseology tickles my fancy. It’s my prerogative to do so. Basically this is my blog and I can write what I want to. But I guess some would argue that it’s better to be a grammar Nazi than a grammar Fascist.
In other cases rules clearly should be treated as rules. Today I’m going to talk about sport. I like sport. I like State of Origin. I like watching international matches. I like the world cup. I love the passion involved in sport. I love it when players show loyalty to their country, state, or club. Loyalty in sport is dying. I’m not going to complain about the professionalisation of sport. I believe sports stars should be paid – sport involves large sums of money – through advertising revenue (and television rights to access said revenue), gate receipts, merchandise etc… it’s only fair that players receive a share of the spoils. I understand when players want to leave a club to further their playing career. What I can not tolerate is this growing trend for players to farm their representative allegiences out to wherever tickles their fancy. It’s probably too late for me to comment on the Karmichael Hunt situation – or in fact the fact that New Zealand had 5 Australian born players playing in their team. But the Greg Inglis situation is still newsworthy and current and stuff. Greg Inglis is from New South Wales. He’s played junior football in New South Wales. He grew up in Macksville or somewhere like that in the Kempsey region. You can read the story here. Shifting allegience to increase your selection chances isn’t anything new. Football (soccer for the culturally bankrupt) players have been toying around with duel citizenship for years. League players have been representing the country of their ancestors (read grandparents) at the Rugby League world cup for as long as it’s been running. Ben Johnson played cricket for Canada in the last Cricket World Cup even though he’s as Australian as the next South Australian. Tim Cahill, the man who I believe carries Australia’s world cup hopes on his shoulders, has played for Western Samoa’s national team – admittedly before he was old enough to know better. This craziness has to stop. I offer no solutions other than reverting to common sense and letting it dictate who plays for where… maybe the country or state you’re born in should have something to do with it.
In other sports news… In a somewhat fiery encounter (I got headbutted in the nose… I had to put that in because my nose still hurts and I think it makes me sound tough, although now I’ve said it hurts I guess that’s not so tough), our indoor team delivered a crushing 13-1 defeat to our opponents in the first round of the new season. With all the pushing, shoving, and swearing, it was like I was back playing Baptist League.
Comments
You saying I should be working more than blogging, Lou?
inglis ties his “origins” to queensland rather legitmately, considering his dad was on the Queensland State of Origin team, and loyalties usually lie with your parents, so i dont think in Inglis case it was a matter of loyalty, more a matter of a technicality. guess who.
As an aforementioned grammar-nazi, I’d like to point out that such compulsions stem from an overall degree of pedanticism.
Nathan, as a journalist, you might care to think of it as a ‘search for truth’, although I use the word ‘truth’ loosely in keeping with the general creed of your profession. Of course, I might redefine it depending on who was paying me.
But I’d like to point out that my criticism and nit-picking are not solely limited to the realm of grammar.
I think it’s partially derived from being tagged as a sporting-underachiever during my school years. Or colloquially, ‘a loser’.
Besides, I’d hate to think that I’d gone through 12 years of schooling with nothing to show for it (like so much of the general public).
And in terms of sport;
Who is Karmichael Hunt, and what is this ‘New Zealand’?
Oh! I’m insulted! (jk)
” journalism isn’t about grammar. The rules don’t apply.”
*Proud journalist AND Grammar Nazi*
“Similarly – why is our right wing political party called the Liberals?”
Oh- and I have always, always wondered about that. That’s your next blog topic, Nathan. The ironies of politics.
Lol @ Nathan & CB’s…er.. engagement (?)