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26 caps for the Wallabies and stints with the Sharks and Brumbies in Super Rugby. Clyde is a Co-founder of Karma (https://karma.wiki/app/start/landing), a platform for writing and receiving open letters.
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Israel Folau is confused. Not evil nor malicious. Confused. And by no small margin. Just as the furore over his recent comments appeared to…
Since we have just passed Good Friday I thought I’d provide a quick recap for those of you who haven’t played the crucifixion game…
'For what we are about to receive may the Lord make us truly grateful.' As someone never persuaded by religion the ease at which…
A few weeks ago I was invited to speak as part of a panel hosted by The Roar entitled 'The Future of Sport'. We…
As the first rumblings of a looming Super Rugby restructure emerged, it became increasingly clear that professional rugby had entered a new and especially…
I'd just arrived in Australia when I first met Dan Vickerman at a coffee shop in Canberra. It is no stretch to say that…
I imagine it's the type of question ex athletes get asked a lot. I'm not sure why it seems to come up so often…
While it may be true that everyone loves a hero, there is little doubt that villains are usually much more interesting. And every great…
A few weeks ago a pleasant stroll through the farmers' market was interrupted by a Rugby Man. Really it was my own fault, I…
Seriously, what is wrong with these social justice warriors! It's as though they can't resist the impulse to stick their noses where they don't…
In the aftermath of my SMH column and the interviews I gave last week regarding the illicit drug scandal, I've noticed a recurrent debate:…
When I hung up my boots in August last year I was immediately presented with the same question all athletes are eventually forced to…
I’m not much of a sports fan. While I can occasionally still get caught up in struggle and passion of a gripping contest, my…
I love quotations. They are windows into the minds of scientists, philosophers, writers, performers, politicians and even, occasionally, athletes. The impending sense of discovery…
As an eighteen-year-old fresh out of high school I was invited to pre-season training with the Natal Sharks. The sweltering temperatures in Summer time…
A group of beaming smiles encircle an impossibly adorable lion cub. They rub its belly and paddle away a flurry of playful swipes while…
From the evolution of life itself to the survival of businesses, competition plays a crucial role in forcing adaptation. When resources are limited, those…
The Brumbies have undergone an unprecedented amount of change leading into 2014. The changes include a new coaching structure, a new HQ, a host…
"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." ― Ernest Hemingway Hemingway's quote can be interpreted…
Make no mistake about it - the Lions series was great! Rugby really was the winner, unless rugby is the nickname for George Smiths…
I’m not sure why you think my article is in any way in opposition to “Ben Daley’s attitude to being a great role model”.
RATHBONE: Athletes are just people, so why expect them to be role models?
Harry, I agree. I’m not arguing that all people shouldn’t aspire to be role models (defined as acting in a way that produces more moral outcomes). I’m arguing against the assumption that athletes are role models, not the fact that they should aspire to be.
RATHBONE: Athletes are just people, so why expect them to be role models?
All life is a canvas and we are all artists, but few seem to know that we paint what we choose 🙂
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
You’ve missed the point by a rather wide margin. The piece briefly interrogates the value of sport. It is not a comment on the relative privilege of athletes (we are wildly privileged).
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
It’s the “handy” part I’m not convinced of. The simple question is this: Is the time many fans devote to professional sport the best use of their time? It’s a subjective question that I think more people should consider
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
If not the real world in what world does professional sport exist? You’re making an argument against a position I’ve not taken.
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
I don’t see any problem with loosing oneself in a moment and passionately supporting a team…so long as one can move into the next moment without being affected by the first 🙂
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
Vital, important, relevant…Semantics. When governments contribute millions of tax payer dollars to professional sport it’s clear that it’s taken extremely seriously.
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
It makes no more sense to demand an athlete be a role model that it does to make the same demand of anybody else. Also, I’ve never really found a definition of “role model” that could be pressed into every persons idea of what one should look like.
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
grapeseed, I think the core difference between “elite employment” and professional sport is the level of personal growth required to excel at each. How much development must the best surgeon in the world undergo vs the best athlete? I think this is an important question.
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
I think players in the past (amateur days) were forced to become more rounded individuals. Having a ‘real’ job, studying and having significant time away sport leads to a healthy perspective – the type of which is so often lacking today.
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
We have a kitchen, Brain, our cook is outstanding and suitably cantankerous as to fit the profile. The boys eat very well indeed.
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
All things in moderation…including moderation.
RATHBONE: Does sport really warrant our reverence?
Except that in many cases “opportunity” creates the illusion of capacity.
RATHBONE: Athletes are just people, so why expect them to be role models?