Open letter to Aussie male athletes

Dear Australian Sports Stars, I’ve been a sports tragic my entire life. I spent my childhood idolising you people. Sticking up for you when you transgressed. Believing it wasn’t possible that my idols could do any wrong.

Call it loyalty. Call it naivety. Call it stupidity. Whatever. I didn’t think there was a way my role models (in case you missed it, you!) could do anything wrong.

Surely it wasn’t Shane Warne’s fault his mum gave him the wrong pill, right?

Wrong. And that’s just the start.

Recently, I am finding myself disgusted with sportspeople from a whole variety of sports and disillusioned with the whole idea of professional sport.

What’s more, it’s nearly always men. When was the last time we heard from the media on women misbehaving in public with violence, alcohol or the like?

What example is this setting to our future young men? A disgraceful one.

Australian sport is suffering an epidemic at the moment.

Whether it’s cricketers not doing their homework or jobbing their opponents on the chin at 2am following a massive night out.

Or attention-seeking football players tweeting naked ‘selfies’ and ‘accidentally’ placing them in the hands of those who end up putting them on the internet.

Or those rugby league players ‘biffing’ each other on the chin (and being glorified for it) in the State of Origin, or time and again being drunk and disorderly in public (not to mention any other number of alleged items of misbehaviour).

Or egotistical swimmers going to the Olympics on tax-payer funded junkets and playing juvenile teenager-style games, affecting the preparation of other athletes – and allegedly harassing a teammate – or toting guns on instagram.

It doesn’t matter which example one looks to, athletes are letting the team down. They are not meeting the levels of behaviour expected by the general public or the media.

Which brings us to the question, are athletes role models?

There is evidence on both sides and passionate debate would be had by any number of people. One thing is irrefutable though, kids watch sport.

Kids don’t just watch it – they consume it and they imitate the actions of their idols.

It’s hard to believe actions stop at copying the bowling of action Glenn McGrath or the kicking style of Tim Cahill.

Society is kidding themselves if they don’t believe sports stars are role models. Kids have always idolised stars (be they sport or other) and always will.

It is the job of the parent to ensure they provide sound guidance to their children and put their behaviour in perspective.

Teenagers are of the social media generation – they don’t know any different. They see people acting inappropriately with social media and do the same, unaware of the potential ramifications.

They see people getting into ‘biffs’ on the field (and off it, often in drunken-fuelled violence) and believe that they can get away with it, only being fined. All is ok because their idol is playing the next week.

Anyone who thinks sports stars are not role models are kidding themselves. Violence in life and society is directly linked, possibly a minor level, to the condoned violence on the sporting field.

The sad thing is that there are endless numbers of sportspeople that do ridiculous amounts for charity and never get recognition – not that they go looking for it. There are too many examples to go through in detail.

If you have a spare two minutes, search for the number of charities that people like Michael Klim, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Steve Waugh – just to name three – support.

Australia may be only the tip of the iceberg that is world sport, but we have to begin in our own backyard. The next generation of sports tragics deserve better than some of the current mob.

If you’re part of the good element of the mob – stand up! Do something about it!

Please.

Yours sincerely,

Another Sporting Tragic