It’s hard to comprehend the level of naivety (at best) that led Kurtley Beale, Corey Norman, Dylan Napa and all the other sweating young fellows to take video of themselves doing dumb stuff for the amusement of their pals on encrypted WhatsApp chat, but there you go. Forrest Gump’s momma was right: Rugby league is a box of chocolates.
And dudes are dumb.
Well, these guys aren’t dumb. They ripped off risky dumb stuff, yes. But that’s what young blokes do, even well-paid famous footy ones. They take risks for kicks.
People lament that footballers will never learn. And that’s right – because footballers will always be young blokes.
And young blokes – since the first man out of Africa played chicken with a sabre-tooth tiger – will always do dumb stuff. It’s part of being a dude. You can’t educate the genome.
You can do your best, of course. As you should. The NRL does. And each year a claque of fresh young dudes arrives to take a turn on the famous footy player conveyor belt, and they’re told about the dangers of social media, and alcohol and illegal drugs, and everything there is that it is bad.
Actors play parts. Respected older players tell them what’s what. There are countless examples of prior behaviour that saw players humiliated, sanctioned and worse.
And some new blokes will listen and obey.
Some will understand that it’s in their best interest to tread warily.
And some will take videos of themselves shagging because they believe themselves invisible or invincible or both. And because it’s fun. See: ecstasy tablets.
For young dudes, lot of ‘em anyway, it’s a rite of passage to live life near the edge, to rip off risky maneuvers.
It’s just… how things are. Doesn’t mean you can’t have an advertisement for the generational effect of drinking to try and change things.
But y’know – young men do risky stuff. It’s why they run with bulls at Pamplona.
Girls don’t do this stuff, generally. They’re not amused by the same things. They just… they don’t do this stuff.
The NRL (and yes, Kurtley’s a Rah-rah, but you know, rugby league) has an Integrity Unit that’s charged with protecting the brand.
If you do something naughty that could get in the newspapers, you tell your footy club who tell these guys who investigate and make a report to the suits higher-up who decide upon sanction.
And the players know this. It won’t stop knuckleheads taking video of themselves shagging and showing their mates. But it should stop some of them, one would assume.
Shouldn’t it?
Anyway – I don’t give a stuff what Norman and Napa and a chat group of Roosters boys do in their free time online, it’s their business.
The NRL’s Integrity Unit is involved because of the potential for negative press and because they want their brand squeaky. Yet the NRL suits themselves, they don’t care. Professionally they do. Not personally.
It’s the same journos reporting this stuff. It’s reported because it’s news and news is the profession. Plus it’s sexy, and it’ll sell papers and rate and all that.
But everyone’s been 20 years old. People are capable of empathy. And living and letting… living… something.
And I’m betting many hundreds of dollars against the delicious cinnamon donuts outside the Big W at Warringah Mall that you, dear reader and Roarer, are thinking, I don’t give a stuff either what these people do in their spare time, why it’s their business, I would hope no-one pokes their face into mine.
And so on.
And here we are! And we’re wondering who outside the sanctimonious strains of talkback radio preachers, who does care?
Because the greater mad job lot of us, all of we who play, admininster, report and consume sport – we don’t care.
We’ll tell each other: I don’t care. You don’t care. So who actually does bloody care?
Answer: money.
Money cares. Because money knows you, The Consumer, actually do care. You say you don’t but you do, even subconsciously.
Money knows that Dragons Incorporated, say, will take a hit because of the Norman tape.
Money knows that Bulldogs Incorporated will take a hit because fresh from the nudity of Mad Monday (when the Tele sent a shooter with a telephoto lens to get ‘em) the Napa thing will send tremors through sponsors, advertisers and other purveyors of money.
Because you, Consumer, will go off the Dragons or Bulldogs. And so money gets jittery, because money knows people.
Money knows that all the column inches generated by Napa means Mums will be less inclined to buy the Bulldogs kit at Rebel Sport.
Money knows you. Or thinks it does.
And yet! In these modern times of instant mass media, and online alerts pinging into one’s pocket all the damned time, money and mums should chill out.
Hear that, mums? Money? Chill out.
And work out that while people may care a little bit about “the video”, “the incident”, what have you, tomorrow or next week or next month at very worst there’ll be some new Outrageous Thing come along to make us all gape.
And then money can go back to associating with Dragons Incorporated, Bulldogs Incorporated, whatever, because when the Nazis are burning bonfires of Gillette razors on Invasion Day, Big Papi’s porno will be a memory, faded into time like the road warrior known only as “Max”.
Remember they all jumped off Tiger Woods? Old Tigger spent a couple years in purgatory, contrite, building a better Tigger. And now he’s won a tourney and they’re all jumping back on again. Or they will if they’re smart. And money is.
Well, not the money I won on the horses last Saturday and immediately invested into Arsenal to beat West Ham. That was quite stupid money.
But you get the point.
And the point is: Dylan and Corey and dear sweet Kurtley B, and all the money and mums in the known sporting universe, should chill in the knowledge that these things have a shelf life.
And unless The Incident involves fingers in the bottom or simulated drunken foolery with a poodle, you haven’t made love with that metaphorical goat. People will move on. And money will move on with it.
The Barry
Roar Guru
“...money and mums should chill out” It’s pretty naive to blame the money. Footy players get the money they get because they’re public figures. They sell newspapers, memberships, TV subscriptions, merchandise, tickets, etc. Whether they or we like it or not their behaviour impacts that. If players want the money to chill, then hand it back and play park football. Then they can snort what they want, make sex tapes and have threesomes with teenagers. But like it or not the behaviour comes with the pay check. So maybe they are being denied a ‘normal’ young adulthood...but they’re being compensated handsomely for it. They have the choice to follow whatever path they like...it’s seeming less and less likely they can have both.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
The one constant with all of the Corey Norman videos I’ve seen, is that he is shooting them himself on his own phone. So he is the one leaking them. That’s a special kind of stupid right there. Atleast you can kinda forgive the others (Carney, Napa, Pearce, Beale et al) for doing stupid things, being filmed by others, and then having them leaked. But Norman? Nah he deserves everything he gets.
Ad-O
Guest
1 to 2 game ban for ball tampering. Like every other side in the world. Or do you think Aussies are somehow better than everyone and should be held to a higher standard?
Petey
Guest
Do you think the women would be dumb enough to leak footage of themselves doing sexual acts to a whats app group of 25+ other women ???
Reg Reagan
Roar Rookie
Funny but over a week too late with that line. I read it on Zero Tackle on the 13th January... suechi January 13, 2019 at 6:16 pm Napa out for a month! 1st video = 3 week suspension for leading with the head 2nd video = 1 week suspension for continued hands in the ruck https://www.zerotackle.com/canterbury-investigating-second-explicit-video-of-napa-39567/
Wayne Turner
Guest
Good point,those who shared them publically without consent should be in trouble.
Wayne Turner
Guest
I find them amusing,in a childish kind of way. I really think the public embarassment is enough penalty for Napa and Norman.If they aren't embarassed,then so be it. The NRL have bigger problems. But,what I really don't find funny at all,and should be taken more seriously once the courts finish:- The alleged women bashers/rapers. And a criminal like Tim Simona (Stealing from charities.Betting against his own team),who should have banned for life from the NRL,just like Matt Lodge should have been.
Hugo au Gogo
Roar Rookie
It’s elite mate ship - get a root, tell all yer mates.
Larry1950
Guest
Community standards change over time, often as a consequence of idiotic behaviour hurting innocent parties. I'm old, my generation drove everywhere when well over what is today's alcohol limit. People killed themselves & others with cars so it eventually became socially unacceptable, always lectured my sons & offered to do really late pickups when they came of age & hit the sauce. Didn't do drugs, never got the offer luckily, don't think they did either so maybe it's the example set. Nowadays, everyone's not only got a camera (phone/dashcam/security) but it's the first thing they reach for when anything out of the ordinary happens (heaven forbid the grab a fire extinguisher to put out a fire or break up a fight when they could be better served getting footage). Once young sports blokes get it through their thick skulls that they're just a video opportunity to anyone and nothing more, they're on the road to survival.
Mambo
Roar Rookie
I think Cleary’s leanings are pretty clearly league from past works I’ve seen, so I don’t think he has a union versus league axe to grind. Having said that I think he is being a bit soft on these clowns. By the way Beale is getting roasted plenty on rugby posts.
Reg Reagan
Roar Rookie
"The biggest difference is those “dumb blokes"... got eaten by said Sabre-Tooth" LOL, very funny. Proof of what you get when you get in the way of evolution and natural selection... dumb human beings! Bahahahahahaha, just quietly I was no angel either when I was their age but I was careful about what I did in public and my career wasn't on the line like theirs is so smarten up boys before the media (todays analogous reference to a Sabre-Tooth) catches up with you. Then your guts will be on display for others to laugh over just like in the days of Fred Flintstone and Dino.
Ben Lewis
Roar Pro
Good article; except for the mislabelling of Australia Day.
Whiskers
Guest
Daft article. Paints these morons as victims of their own behaviour. They aren't victims. They are cocksure bullies.
MaxP
Guest
Good point Glen. It just shows these incidents are wrong in so many ways. Like I said in an earlier post, we shouldn’t just say “boys will be boys” and move on, nor should we condemn them for unpardonable crimes. But we should examine all the things that should be improved here: Drug use- based on a supply chain that causes misery from the grower to the user (the fun little bump causes lawlessness and death in Mexico, Colombia etc). I’ve no problems with people choosing to risk their own body and mind per se, but it is the harm they do to others that is the problem Sex tape- sharing footage of a sex act without consent is degrading and can have terrible ramifications for all parties, most often the female who doesn’t consent to its release Sharing any type of footage without consent- as above. That people think it appropriate to share this for a laugh or scandal is terrible. We all deserve privacy
David Long
Guest
No surprise it took this rah rah loving “writer” half a column to mention Beale plays union. Par. Course. Etc.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I think the way the league cracked down on head high tackles and punching has shown that if the penalties are adequate then they can counteract the risky antics of young men. Same thing with the actions off the field. If the penalties are harsh and clearly explained then these sorts of things can be greatly reduced. Playing brutal contact sports is as risky as anyone needs to be.
Wal
Roar Guru
So cheating is ok in your book then?
Ad-0
Guest
You're right. The outrage machine is so f@#king boring. Its even cost the best cricketer in the country 12 months of his career. Hopefully 2019 is the year we calm down.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Nice article. The idea that females don't do or aren't interested in this sort of risky stuff is a bit of a fairy tale however.
jeznez
Roar Guru
There is a Gillette ad asking men to be better blokes that has a bunch of blokes with their knickers in knots. Invasion Day is the alternate name for Australia Day which has plenty of folk het up. While the Nazis and white supremacists have been holding rallies with Fraser Anning and the Anti-Fa turned up to oppose. Matt's (quite neatly I thought) thrown three hot button issues into one line to demonstrate that there will be something along to take the focus of our attention from these blokes in the near future - basically the main point of his article.