Like any human pursuit worth blood, sweat and tears, sport has always been the whole world writ small. We find in it all the shades of good and evil, nobility and pettiness, generosity and selfishness.
Above all, we find all that is true and real, and all that is false and illusory.
As in life, in sport we exercise our authentic being alongside our avoidances and self-deception.
Perhaps, with the death of Michael Chamberlain and our current understanding of the whole sorry saga of the Azaria affair, we may be reminded that sometimes microcosms enact the tragic and the sordid to devastating effect. How chance circumstance, naivete, self-indulgence, self-importance, cowardice, malice, and the full gamut of human folly can leave few, if any, with no need for self-reflection and at least a small mea culpa. A whole nation baited.
Similar is the case with the Essendon doping affair. And here, sport and the recurring dramas of human existence are clearly one.
As with the Chamberlains, too many of us acted as if we knew for certain what happened. Too many succumbed to our baser selves, especially the desire to cast stones and bring down tall poppies or shine forever tarnished heroic medallions. Too many involved the cast themselves as superior beings, authorised to inflate themselves by their role in the broad game, aka ‘industry’.
Vested emotional interests stretched from political ambitions and expediency to perverted tribal emotions. Who has not found some stain within during the long living of this tale?
I am ready to say that, because their self-knowledge was insufficient, most knew not what they did. Most of us knew not what we were being either. We can be so wrapped around with self-evasion and self-protective illusions that we are hardly conscious. We can be so invested in unreal images we have of ourselves and others, and of the nature and point of life itself, that we do things we might later see more clearly.
Yet, do them we did, and that defines at least a part of what we are to our dying day. I am the one who felt or did or said …
It is humbling and best to find the way to accept these kinds of actions and to respond accordingly, in the way that becomes quickly and blindingly obvious.
Some knew far better than others that the pact with the devil was near at hand, if not already made. Few of us have real and certain knowledge who they were. Some of them probably don’t care, or pretend to themselves they don’t. But I don’t write here about them.
Perhaps I recognise myself in the way James Hird expressed his sense of responsibility. Or, my own naivete in his boys’ own view of the unalloyed nobility of the game. Or my own vested psychological interest in trusting unwisely.
I tend to wake up far too late and find myself with a cost to pay. And what have I cost others? I find shadows active where I have sleepwalked my way, and there is no denying, this I have done.
I do not know what has taken James to where he is today, but if I were in his shoes, I would have been shocked to find that an honest and even courageous mea culpa did not make it all better. I would have woken from my witch’s sleep to see the deep, inescapable darkness in the nature of the human, how it implacably dogs even our best steps, and been shocked to my core.
Dante has a sign over the gate to Hell: ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here’. There are few who can gaze on that gate and not lose hope (abandon doesn’t come into it) for a moment or two.
There but for the grace of God.
Brenda Coughlan
Guest
Your article brought me to tears - we can be all guilty of the same thing - too quick to judge - as if we are experts in all fields - unless on is at the event - we cant know the truth and from then on it is only interpretations and stories - when people mention things to me I say firstly were you there at the time - and if the answer is No - well - what they are saying is only their interpretation or a story they have heard
Brenda Coughlan
Guest
Your article brought me to tears - thank you - your words so true - we can be all guilty of the same thing
Craig Delaney
Roar Pro
Can't see that I've ignored it, but I can see I didn't make a big point about it.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Because Chamberlains had a genuine right to be aggrieved and dismayed about their treatment and the hostility of the press and society towards them. Hird and the Bombers did not. I know you're more trying to analyse social behavior in this article but I feel it's disingenuous to keep trying to draw the same comparison between the two while ignoring the circumstances and causes that led each to this situation.
Craig Delaney
Roar Pro
In what way is the comparison between the effects of the Chamberlain's defensive withdrawal and that of Hird and the Bombers contraindicated? I'm not talking about guilt and innocence so much as the social and individual behaviours that are constellated by a notorious event. The Chamberlains were innocent full stop. Hird and the Bombers had real cases to answer, and some of those answers had to be mea culpas.
Craig Delaney
Roar Pro
Good one. Except the dingo did take Azaria.
Mikey
Guest
Touché!
Penster
Roar Guru
The only thing in common with the Chamberlains, is that a dingo stole Essendon's injecting records.
Paul D
Roar Guru
This Hird/Chamberlain comparison is overdone. It wasn't like Stephen Dank prowled into Windy Hill in the dark of night and stuck needles in all the poor unsuspecting players while they were asleep
Craig Delaney
Roar Pro
I remember those days too, VII. The Chamberlain's began by withdrawing as a way to protect themselves, but this only left an empty slate on which so many prejudices could be projected. They tried to reverse it but the horse had bolted. There's an echo of this in the way the Bombers rounded the wagons, and tried to keep tight in their redoubt. Only offers more projection room. Projections became polarised into die-hards for and against. And it made things worse, as you say. Not many for the Chamberlains however. Human prejudice runs far deeper than reason, down somewhere in the magma.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
I thought most media were either on Hirdy's side or hoped it would go his way for the good of the game. The pro Hird crowd were more emotional rather than objective too. A glance at the history of WADA rulings, primarily being that ignorance is not bliss should have told Essendon to plead the old mea culpa pronto and everyone might have been punished and clear by 2014 or start of 2015 at the latest, like the 'nullas. I was only a lad but I recall the media truly did hound the poor Chamberlains. I can't remember a single champion for them. Hirdy has had plenty.
Mikey
Guest
One further point on Lukin - hindsight is a wonderful thing but do you think that given his time again, Hird may have more seriously considered her suggestion that he stand down as coach while the investigation was on-going? Her job was to help the EFC achieve the best possible outcome from the supps mess and it is now obvious to blind Freddy that the EFC and Hird would have come out of this much better if they had taken her advice. Her services were terminated when Evans left and Little and Hird wanted to embark on a more confrontational strategy. History already shows that strategy was a complete disaster for everyone at the EFC.
Mikey
Guest
Paul D - you are spot on about Lukin. She was hired specifically to help the EFC navigate through the supps crisis. She was well qualified to do so - she had worked in the AFL system for many years including working directly with other AFL clubs and the AFLPA. So her appointment to the role with the AFL can be logically justified without the need for a conspiracy theory. In regards to HH and Pedro's claims that she was the Essendon Mother Sarah - while it could be possible, it would be a career and reputation destroying decision if she was subsequently exposed. I just don't know what would be her personal motivation to take such a huge risk - even with the lure of a job offer at the AFL "Psst....we got this nice job offer for you but first we have to ask you to do us a small favour.... but if you get busted we had nothing to do with it and you won't be able to get a job cleaning toilets" She was running a successful business and had a very good reputation - so one would think she would have little motivation to be part of something like that.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Pedro - isn't is obvious how it translates into self delusion? he was literally making himself believe that he was acting in the best interests of the players! if that isn't self-delusion I don't know what is.
Paul D
Roar Guru
That's because I don't. I would have thought that was obvious by now.
Paul D
Roar Guru
When you start with a predetermined outcome in mind, you can make all the pieces fit very easily. Grant Thomas - gee, there's a thoroughly reputable and unbiased source. Ask Mifsud and Neeld what they think of him.
Craig Delaney
Roar Pro
I don't think you can meet a person like Dank and operate as if he's kosher without some level of self-deception. It's easy to do: how many of us have not been conned by someone and later asked ourselves, How did I gloss over that? That's down to me even if I was pretty asleep at the wheel when I did it. Glossing over means I had an inkling but something in me chose to ignore it - I chose to ignore it. How do certain parts of the media gloss over their vested interest in the way they tell the story? Self-delusion/self-deception? The world is full of it, neh?
Pedro
Roar Rookie
Sarah is Liz Luken, former EFC spin doctor who was fired during saga, hired by AFL Grant thomas twitter Believe what you want Sacked by the bOmbers, now works for the AFL Gee its hard to work out isnt it !
Craig Delaney
Roar Pro
Yes, that's one of my points well summarised.
Pedro
Roar Rookie
Not a bomber type at all, you were the one taking cheap pot shots, you are always posting your nonsense, i don't feel sorry for the narcissist Hird etc etc.