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
I would have thought participation is more important than some kind of pretend “loyalty”.
Let the kids play their games for whoever they like…
Ah, the distinct flavour of apathy.
you’re from Darwin so you just don’t understand the issue
I’ve got two responses and you can take your pick:
1. That’s like saying “you’re from Australia so you can’t support Man U properly”.
2. Whatever.
The participation issue is also a function of the pocket.
Club (vs State) vs Country debates happen in all sports, and will grow as more money goes to the leagues as opposed to national representation.
Matt’s second option adds to the apathy aroma.
As to his first option, Nathan, have you ever lived in Manly?
No. But I was born in Sydney and Maclean doesn’t have a national football team. I’m happy for people to support whoever they want. It’s a different argument. How can someone who lived in Queensland for about 8 months possibly represent Queensland?
It’s not a case of “cogito ergo sum” you can’t will yourself to be from somewhere – you either are or you aren’t.
I agree that in individual circumstances it can be a bit of a farce, but doubt it is ever going to change.
I seem to recall several instances of the same argument, for players on both origin teams, in previous years.
And in the national cricket competitions, over the last 10-20 years it’s way less where you’re from, than who’ll give you a game.
Representative sport is up for sale.
Money will keep talking, and players that want to play at a representative level (for whatever reason) will do what they have to to get there.
So I’ll join the apathy party (being from FNQ, and having lived in NSW) and enjoy watching QLD defeat NSW.
Cogito ergo sum – I think therefore I add up?
This is a great intro to pop filossofy:
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/family/venividi.html
Two words. Rugby Union.
Three words… what about it?
Two words.
“I think, therefore, I think I add up to something”
matt, that’s along the lines of smiley’s “black t-shirt”
Rugby Union aka ‘the game they play in heaven’. Need I say more?
<a href=”example.com/link.html” > Link Name </a>
No Miriam you don’t need to say any more – just things that are relevant – or at least show how they’re relevant to the discussion.
You can’t just go throwing random sports out there.
Water Polo
Lacrosse
Croquet
All sports – all irrelevant to the current discussion.
How is waterpolo irrelevant?
It’s never irrelevant. It is the rugby of the pool.
Smiley has a black t-shirt? Aren’t they all he has??
A technicality dear Nathan, a mere technicality. I read the word ‘sport’ and naturally assumed that, given the previous blogs, this would be another soccer-saturated entry.
On a happier note, now that Wendell Sailor has been found in question in relation to a certain drugs matter, we are more than happy to hand him back to Rugby League, wrap him in bubble wrap and express post him back to Queensland.
Oh, and I do believe that money has bastardised sport.
CB. I like you.
Miriam,
Is that because Rugby keep paying so much money to the bastards who cross over from league?
I’m not sure, but I am tempted to do a nudie run at a Rugby Match with ‘League Players are the bastardisation of Rugby’ tattooed across my bottom.
Would doing a nudie run then be legal since I would be in all my ‘glory’ at ‘the game they play in heaven’. Do you think my defence would stand in court and that I could argue my way out of paying the subsequent $5,000 fee?
Classy…
That’s my cousin everyone – and unfortunately she’s not single.
Any news on that front cousin?
unfortunately for all the non-married, interested parties out there. I note the people who’ve posted here today are either married or female…
Miriam:
For sure. You’re hilarious. Come visit us in Sunny Townsville (where, apparently, it keeps raining…). We can all gang up on Nathan together.
Actually, if you lodged an appeal on one of those 5pm current affairs shows you could probably raise the money to get you out of the fee…
Either way, what have you got to lose? (Besides dignity and reputation…)
Did I mention that classiness runs in the family?
Am still non-single. You?
This is a question I’ve always wanted an answer to…
Why is Rugby UNION the sport of the upper class and not the working class?
Similarly – why is our right wing political party called the Liberals?
CB. I like your style. I think that I could take a leaf out of the ‘Vodafone Streakers’ book – a couple of guys that ‘advertised’ Vodafone by way of nudity at a match a couple of years ago – and offer the current affairs program a spot on my bottom for their logo. The sponsorship fee would just have to be sufficient to cover the legal costs.
I was wondering if young Dan had umm… ROCKed your world yet. Has he given you a RING on the phone lately, or on the other HAND…
I think it might be because spectators don’t usually spit, curse and punch the opposition’s fans at half-time?
Not sure if it is restrained to the class system, given the rednecks that played it in Armidale…
Leave young Dan alone. He’s bigger than you!!
Really? I’m pretty big… and tough… and good looking… so why is he taking so long? Your biological clocks are ticking. What sort of Anglicans are you?
As much as I have enjoyed this post – and have now added ‘nudie run’ to my top ten list of things to do, I have to go.
Bored meeting, I mean board meeting, is calling my name.
P.S. Can you marry CB?
Sure Miriam…
CB – I propose….
to never ever speak of that again.
I accept.
wow. I should propose more often.
welcome to the family CB.
miriam,
you should tell Dan how easy the proposal thing is.
miriam,
just thought I’d mention that you might get a life ban for the nudie run… a higher cost than $5000 fine if you really like the game.
Though if you did it at a league game then there’s no real loss for you I guess other than the entry fee.
to get back to soccer, after that illuminating diversion into cross-country wrestling.
I agree that Cahill has a big role to play, but would add Bresciano, Moore and Neill to the list of key players.
If those guys can hold their own then we have a good chance of going through.
To me Cahill is to the Australian team what Keane was to Man Utd for the last 10 years. I think he’ll play a pivotal role in the team.
I don’t put those other guys in the same category. They’re obviously important, but for us to win we need our big names to fire. Kewell and Viduka must live up to expectations. Schwarzer obviously will also need to be on song.
Does a life ban apply to AFL as well? I would happily get myself banned from that. Guess it wouldn’t have the same level of impact though, since there are so many girls on the field already…
If you do it at the MCG or Telstra Dome in melbourne it is a life time ban from All sports at those venues. how they check up on that i dunno as there are a fair few ppl who do it. Which leads to annother question: what about the pig that was let onto the ground in an afl game: did it get a lifetime ban?
how did it get into the ground?
Maybe instead of a sausage sizzle they had a pig on the spit!
Miriam, I don’t see that there is a huge difference between what you are talking about and cheerleading.
Except that they get paid for that, not banned…
CB. I’ve considered your suggestion of cheerleading and have come to the following conclusions:
1. People wouldn’t take my message seriously;
2. As I have a brain, although some (Nathan), may argue that I don’t, I think that I wouldn’t meet the cheerleading criteria;
3. Cheerleaders are blonde;
4. Cheerleaders are tall and have long legs;
5. Cheerleaders seem to make a habit out of going out with League players.
After weighing up the pros and cons of taking up cheerleading, I have decided that my only option is the nudie. Besides, League needs all the money they can get – I’m offering to do the nudie for free!
mmmhmm.
Some times all you can do is smile and nod.
I’d like to refute CB’s earlier statement about me only having black t shirts. Tonight I’ll be proudly wearing blue.
I just wanted to be your 50th comment!
Also is there any reward in recommending your blog to other people and actually have them comment?
Although I hope Mitch doesn’t take up as much comment space as MIP – no offence meant!
Your loving Mumxoxoxox