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What is the fascination with sports stars having tattoos?
Last time I checked, tattoos never hindered the playing performance of stars like LeBron James or Ben Barba, yet for reasons unknown, it’s still an ongoing topic of discussion.
Public opinion of Australian athletes and their chosen ink is as much a permanent fixture on social media as a footy player’s latest hand tattoo.
This week an England University Principal Lecturer compared tattoos to the defining form of personal expression in the digital age.
Dr Lee Barron from Northumbria in Newcastle, interviewed 25 tattooed students, 80% of whom were women, as part of his study on signs and communication.
“People get a tattoo to communicate some aspect of their life. They are highly personal and highly communicative,” he said.
“They are not random designs, they are signifiers. The issue is they have a meaning.”
From the mundane structure of what time they train, eat, get hammered on the physio table, along with conforming to uniforms or worse, if an individual athlete, having to wear their sponsors apparel every day, expressing individuality can be limiting.
Cue the buzzing from a tattoo parlour or the clippers of your nearest hip hairdresser.
Mr Barron goes on to say “Tattooing is the ultimate expression of individuality but of course, you can’t always control how people read the symbols.”
Barron hits the nail on the head; blokes covered in ink are generally passed off as being no hopers.
I can see the point that perhaps their future career choices may somewhat be impacted – I can’t say I’ve seen any bankers with neck tatts.
But judging them on this basis is pure ignorance.
To reiterate, I’m blonde with boobs yet I’m as far from a bimbo or gold-digger as my appearance would stereotypically suggest.
Ink is no longer a symbol of teenage defiance, from Serbian tennis player Janko Tipsaravic on court at Grand Slams to English cricketer Jade Dernbach, individuality has now become the norm.
We have also been amused by Wallabies and Melbourne Rebels fullback James O’Connor who has managed to put a positive spin on his much talked about semi-pony tail with him shaving his head in order to raise awareness for Autism.
Since his Super Rugby debut as a then 17-year old, O’Connor has held the public’s fascination with his stand out choice of hairstyle, stemming form his original comparison to teen sensation Justin Bieber.
Canberra Raiders fullback Josh Dugan in contrast was ripped to shreds in the press because he chose to commemorate childhood hero Ray Lewis’s portrait on his thigh.
I’m not going to pretend I care for the Lewis, but the fact Dugan was so inspired by Lewis to spend the afternoon getting carved up cites this country kid’s got some heart.
Dugan, who’s spent just as much time on the sidelines injured as on the filed, cites Lewis’s constant determination an inspiration.
“No matter the setback, he’s always been able to overcome it. That’s the style of character he is and that’s the style of player I’d like to be” said Dugan.
Call me biased – I have up to eight tattoos, varying from self motivating quotes, The Beatles Hey Jude and even a token Kings Cross permanent memory.
Come fifty years’ time when I’m sitting in a retirement home downing my lunch through a straw, I’m adamant I won’t regret them.
I’m sure I’m not alone.
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