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Australian sports fans are living in the past

Roar Rookie
22nd February, 2012
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Roar Rookie
22nd February, 2012
6

Take a quick glance at the sporting headlines this past year and you could have been forgiven for thinking it was 2002. On January 7, Shane Warne was bowling in front of adoring crowds at the MCG, and two days later Thierry Henry scored for Arsenal against Leeds.

Dustin Fletcher has finished another tremendous pre-season, while South Sydney is not living up to expectations. To be fair both those events could have easily happened in 1992, 2002, 2012 or even 2022.

Lleyton Hewitt made it to the round of 16 at the Australian Open.

But of course, the biggest event in Australia’s Retro Summer of Sport is next month, when Ian Thorpe pulls on his togs for the Olympic selection trials in Adelaide.

Even if Stephanie Rice posts an offensive tweet while launching a new line of bathers during a world-record swim, Thorpe will dominate the sports bulletins.

Why do both the Australian media and public act like Rolling Stones fans, clamouring for the greatest hits while ignoring the new releases?

Are the modern day feats of Dave Warner, Bernard Tomic and James Magnussen not enough for us? Magnussen is one of the favourites for London but his build up to the selection trials has been as low key as a gnome’s front door.

I believe the answer lies in nostalgia for a time when the country was a global sporting colossus. Beginning with Pat Rafter’s American Open win in 1997, Australia was fortunate enough to experience a golden age of sport that lasted until we lost the Ashes in 2005.

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In that period Australia won four tennis grand slam tournaments, two Davis Cups, 16 cricket Tests in a row, two cricket World Cups, a rugby union World Cup, and produced our two most successful Olympic Games teams in terms of gold medals won.

At one point during the 2002 Winter Olympics we were even above Austria on the medal table. Australia could have challenged St Michael and the heavenly host and been confident of at least a draw.

When measured against that orgy of achievement, beating China 5-0 in a Davis Cup tie in Geelong is as satisfying as a kiss from your sister.

However, we should not let this fixation on nostalgia blind us to our current champions. As well as the potential of Magnussen, we have the successes of both Cadel Evans and the Socceroos to be proud of.

Who among Australia’s long suffering football community wouldn’t have traded one of our Sydney 2000 golds for an extra goal against Iran? And now Cahill and co. stand on the brink of a third World Cup in a row.

Yet if Warne or Adam Gilchrist were to even mention thinking about the possibility of considering the idea of playing in the Twenty20 World Cup, sports editors around the country would be shouting “Hold the back page!”

Australia’s sporting heritage is something to be proud of. But if we continually look backwards, we may not see the champions of today until their time has passed.

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