We rarely focus on female sport, even when there are events that are more than worthy of our attention. One such scenario has been quietly bubbling away in the background over the past week, and that is the impending return of Lauren Jackson to the Canberra Capitals for the remainder of the WNBL season.
The story has been slowly and quietly bubbling away because getting Jackson’s signature has been dependent on the local Canberra business community, small as it is, raising a $220,000 purse.
In the end, aided by a gift from the ACT government of $50,000, some sixteen businesses in total made up the remainder to finally reach the target.
This is big news because we are basically talking about the best female basketballer in the world who would be able to earn much more than that on the European circuit. She earned that much back in 2004 for a five game guest appearance for Moscow club Spartak, which also happens to be her current club.
Jackson decided to opt out of her two year contract with Spartak soon after the untimely death of club owner, Shabtai von Kalmanovich.
Immediately upon arriving at that decision, she became hot property, so the Canberra community has done well to bring her back home against some stiff competition.
When straight talking Capitals coach, Steffie Graf, was asked about the displacing effect the return of Jackson might have on other team members, she replied: “Tough!” She quite rightly pointed out that for most of the team members, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to train and play with the very best in the world.
I lived and worked for a short period near the Capitals’ home base in Tuggeranong about eight years ago, and despite the very best of intentions, never got to see Jackson play live.
Canberra people shouldn’t let this opportunity pass because, after this season, they may never see Jackson playing out of Tuggeranong again.
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On a slightly different note, but still related to women’s sport with a Canberra twist, I’ve just read that Belconnen’s Alice Broughton has been invited to play Aussie Rules with the Canadian team, Calgary Kookaburras, and to be an assistant coach with the Canadian national team.
Calgary plays in a five team 9-a-side women’s competition, which they are hoping to eventually expand to the standard 18-a-side format in due course.
The Canadian’s are assisting with air fares and expenses while finding her work in Calgary for the duration of her stint, and we wish her all the best with her rather unique endeavour.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
katz no worries - I ended up accepting the point Greg was making as it was me who initially used the term "best in the world", and it's fair enough to be reminded that if you're going to bandy around terms like that, you better have a clear idea why you are doing it. I think we should be able to give Greg the benefit of the doubt that it was an off the cuff remark that was not intended to denigrate anyone. IN the meant time, I note that my article still refers to the Capital coach as Steffie Graf rather than Carrie Graf!! (which remains embarassing for me) :)
katzilla
Roar Guru
Regardless of the group of people James the comment made was prejudiced. I finally agree with Greg below though, its time to leave this. Sorry your thread got side tracked Pip, I will take the blame for that.
katzilla
Roar Guru
I don't interpret Fof, I just read, and what he said was prejudicial. He doesn't have the right to make that comment therefore I bring it up and will carry on with it as long as I feel i need to. You thinking im a Git means nothing, your entitled to that opinion. Again like I said, Many thought Green had a good chance, but some I spoke to thought he was a shoe in. In hindsight its easy to say 'Told you so' but before the fight anyone and everyone with boxing knowledge was talking 'Green has a chance if..........' not 'Green will knock him out in the 1st' There is a good reason it paid 100/1
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
I read Katzilla's latest comment to me above. I am not going to comment on it, i.e., I give him the last word in this debate. It's Friday, and after a week of this it's time to stop. Everyone have a good weekend, and thanks to James and Freud.
Jameswm
Guest
Katzilla Generalising about Aussies is not racist. Being Australian is not a race, it is a nationality. Generalising about Aboriginal Australians, white Australians or Greek Australians however IS racist. The same applies to NZ. Making a general comment about what Kiwis think is not being racist. It's different if you talk about Maoris or say Kiwis of German background in the South Island. I had a laugh - I don't really follow boxing but saw what you said, then when I saw it was a 2 min knockout the other way I couldn't resist bringing it up!
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Katzilla, "If Freud isn’t talking about the guy having a ‘Hat Full’ rather then Vettori taking a hat full of wickets then the mistake is mine and i apologise to him. But my point stands regardless of intoxication or not. Many people talk up their sports stars beyond their true worth. A few Aussies i know think Green WILL win tonight." - Apology accepted, Greg had the correct interpretation of that one and if we could just focus on that last sentence of yours there... Sometimes comments don't just come back to hurt you but they can make you look like a real git. I don't claim to know a lot about boxing but I was one of the Aussies who thought Green WOULD win, perhaps you should just drop this one - you've made a fool of yourself once and not bothered interpreting Greg's comments the way they were meant.
katzilla
Roar Guru
Greg, like i said below, its not for you or James to tell me what Racism is. Your not quite sure what it is and thinking its ok to make genralisations about another group of people is actually racist. Asians are bad drivers? Thats in the same boat but is a racist comment. Jews are Tight with money? Another generalisation and also racist. Its not for you to tell me what racist is. My embarrasment comment is directed at you because you obviously have no idea about your effect when making denigrating comments. Through ignorance or arrogance it is still racism. My comment about Green was an example of people being over confident in their sports stars. It stands, he did well and got a great punch in good on him. But before most gave him a chance, not a 'He will definately win' I would write that i disagree with your opinion if you were entitled to make that assumption. But your not.
katzilla
Roar Guru
Ah yes it is Jameswm. Its not for you or Greg to tell me what i should be upset about. Is it ok to go around and say that Asians are bad drivers? Thats a generalisation, is it not racist? It is you that has racism wrong. Racism is defined by the Subject not the user.
katzilla
Roar Guru
I did have a chuckle at that.
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
Your comment here seems to be a classic example of my statement about "spending your time inventing untrue extrapolations to what that person has written". Where does my sentence "denigrate Nelsen’s contribution" and say he did not play well and did not deserve plaudits? These are invented extrapolations. What my sentence actually does is denigrate Bahrain. Just because I urge for an achievement to be seen in the perspective of how good the opposition is, that does not mean I am denigrating that person. As for Katzilla's "Basically Greg you’ve made a generalisation about a race of people, usually referred to as racism": (1) see james below ("you’ve got racism wrong there. Generalising what a country’s people might do or think is not racism"), (2) if I belittled a group of people, then it was unintentional, as already explained in a comment (presumably unread). Finally, "Its embarassing for this Website that your a registered Columnist. And you wonder why people don’t read all of your posts?" I do not wonder (especially in the present cases), and I am truly relieved to learn that you feel this way about what I write. (Actually, from the present exchange it's already very evident that you don't actually read what I write. If you did, then you would simply have written "I disagree with your opinion about 'reverse cultural cringe'", and that would have been that, as opposed to inventing ghosts, e.g. racism. An irony is that the actual subject of my original comment to Pip - that LJ should not be called "the best female basketballer in the world” - is the same as a posting you yourself have made below. See, we are not so different after all. Ouch, that's a really low - Danny Green-like? - blow, isn't it.)
Jameswm
Guest
Katzilla said:- "A few Aussies i know think Green WILL win tonight". You gotta laugh at that one now.
Darwin hammer
Roar Rookie
"Where did I write that Nelsen did not play well in Wellington and was not deserving of plaudits?" Your right I really don't know where I got that idea from - well perhaps from "you’ll find plenty of NZers ringing up and waxing lyrical about how good Ryan Nelsen is … simply because he organized the NZ defence to, somewhat luckily, keep that great force of world football, Bahrain, goalless." I'd consider that a snide remake and denigrates Nelsen's contribution as for FoF's contribution - reading it literally he's based his entire argument on the fact that I misspelt Nelsen’s name ... judge that how you will ...
Jameswm
Guest
Ryan who? Katzilla - build a bridge - you've got racism wrong there. Generalising what a country's people might do or think is not racism. Work it out. Geez you Kiwis can be an oversensitive bunch.
katzilla
Roar Guru
All you provide are mentions of leads Greg, no links. Until you provide proof your making it all up. Answer me this question then - Why the need to have a dig at Kiwis during your 'Insecurities' post? I know you live there, is your stay uncomfortable? I really don't get it, it wasn't required to make your point, but you choose to put it in there. And its not the first time you've done it. DH is right, it is a snide comment and very much so in the Stephen Jones school of commentary. Basically Greg you've made a generalisation about a race of people, usually referred to as racism (putting your own people in a same but lesser boat doesn't make it right) Its embarassing for this Website that your a registered Columnist. And you wonder why people don't read all of your posts? Its a bit hard to get past that comment. If Freud isn't talking about the guy having a 'Hat Full' rather then Vettori taking a hat full of wickets then the mistake is mine and i apologise to him. But my point stands regardless of intoxication or not. Many people talk up their sports stars beyond their true worth. A few Aussies i know think Green WILL win tonight.
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
Incidentally: "the group you have chosen to belittle" I was not trying to belittle anyone. If I did inadvertently belittle by writing "out of insecurity Australians (and even more so New Zealanders)", then I was belittling all Australians and all NZers, which means I was belittling both myself (an Australian) and my children (who are NZers). As for your comment: "I think that’s more the preserve of the Australians than kiwis – esp when over hyping their rugby players" I actually agree with this about Australians and rugby players, and I feel it's what drives a lot of the commentary at this website, i.e., Australians overestimating the abilities of Wallabies, and therefore being disappointed by results. You'll actually find I have written a Roar article on this if you care to look. Is it being snide and Stephen Jones-like that I can (1) sometimes agree with you, and (2) admit it? (OK, this comment is a bit snide, but I'm just trying to make a point - we should all try to be even-handed.)
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
The most pertinent comment I have written is "A constant problem with people at this website is that they don’t actually read what others have written." 99% of the things that Freud and I are accused of, we did not write. Where did Freud write that his interlocutor was drunk? ("He’d just taken a hat full" is surely referring to Daniel taking wickets). Where did I write that Nelsen did not play well in Wellington and was not deserving of plaudits? Where did I write that "talkback callers represent mainstream NZ"? (although many sociologists would argue that they do). Where did I imply that if a talkback caller says that Ryan Nelsen is best in the world, then it must be correct? (These are just some examples.) All I actually was relating is that I had heard some (actually, quite a few) talkback callers say a particular thing about Nelsen. And then a whole lot of people jump in and basically say that it's impossible that any talkback caller could have said what I heard (let me quote again: "I can guarantee that zero NZers ... would describe Nelson in this way" - I don't actually see any ambiguity in this claim). The best one, though, is that a guy writes that I made an "utter utter crap comment", and then, when I respond in a sarcastic but non-rude way (cf. what he wrote), he claims "you subscribe to the Stephen Jones school of commentary – ie write snide comments that you know will incite a rebuff". I'm sorry, but go back to my original comment, and show me what was "snide" about it or how I was trying to "incite" anything. Guys - rather than going ballistic when someone expresses a different opinion to your own, and then spending your time inventing untrue extrapolations to what that person has written, why not just spend a bit more time reading what actually has been written? I quite agree that what I wrote about cultural cringe is just an opinion that I could no more provide definitive evidence for than you could provide definitive evidence against. But everything else you have written is invention. (And I'm not sure why katzilla steadfastly chooses to ignore the leads I provided to sources.)
Pippinu
Roar Guru
ROAR EDITORS Could you please change my embarassing error from Steffie to Carrie - some sort of Freudian slip was clearly involved! Apologies to Carrie - love your work.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
I'm sorry I said she was the best in the world!!!
katzilla
Roar Guru
Provide the links to your sources Greg. Otherwise you might as well say Marvin the Martian said........
katzilla
Roar Guru
Aside from the trolls at the top of this thread I must say this is a good thing for Canberra. I'd certainly consider going to a game. Whether she is the worlds best? I'd Pick Candace Parker over her but then again thats a personal choice. Shes currently out of action due to Motherhood. HOPE SHE DUNKS! How good would that be for Womens Basketball in oz? Only 2 women have done it in the WNBA.