Innocence Lost

Sun Herald

Sunday November 18, 2007

Daniel Lane

Sadly for young athletes today, the world of sport can quickly become a dark and dangerous place, writes Daniel Lane.

Drugs, sex scandals, binge drinking, violence, obscene wealth, racist slurs and the egg-shell frailty of the human spirit: these aren't story elements for Spike Lee's latest movie portraying life in an eastern Los Angeles street gang, they're all part of the real drama that is sport today.

They constitute traps and pitfalls that await the next generation of elite athletes, now wide-eyed youngsters who aspire to wear their national colours, who believe in the glory of giving their all.

The challenge facing sports administrators is how to teach them about a lifestyle which, at its worst, has the potential to shatter more than their dreams.

"You can't go into sport naive," Australian netball captain Liz Ellis says. "You can't go into it thinking everything about sport is great. You have to be aware of things, like the responsibilities to your sponsors and your team."

There is also the temptation for some to use steroids to gain an edge, or to dabble in the so-called "party drug" culture to escape what is described as the pressures of continually having to excel.

There are other temptations and abuses, too. When Mark Geyer was graded with Penrith in the mid 1980s he found beautiful girls would throw themselves at fellow rugby league players with all the personality of a "fishing rod".

Garry Linnell provided an insight into the phoney world of of an AFL idol in his book Playing God: The Rise and Fall of Gary Ablett. Nicknamed God because he could kick a ball long and leap high, Ablett was tormented by the downside of success. As Linnell wrote: "Fame ran its velvet tongue over him, liked what it tasted and decided to devour him. Fame was just another stranger trying to make a buck out of him."

In his attempt to escape its clutches, Ablett surrendered his will to grog and drugs. It came to a head with the overdose death, in a Melbourne hotel room, of a young female fan who'd hung his poster on her wall when she was a kid.

In our grandparents' era, sport was presented as if it were a day without sunset. The gladiators glowed. They were portrayed as outstanding citizens who said "please" and "thank you" and were underwhelmed by the public's interest. They seemed flawless - a false view, of course - and mere mortals crammed into fire traps posing as grandstands to watch them.

Sport was considered character building and athletes such as Olympic gold medallists Murray Rose and Betty Cuthbert exemplified all that was wholesome. And while those examples are still about - fast bowler Brett Lee is one - the faults of Mike Tyson, Ben Cousins and OJ Simpson show there is darker side.

When 16, Ellyse Perry became the youngest cricketer - male or female - to have represented Australia in that sport. Now 17, she is also a member of the Young Matildas football squad and she's watched from afar as the reputations of some athletes have spilled like loose change into the gutter.

"I try not to take too much notice - the choices of other people is not my business," she said. "But I'm confident in the future athletes coming up through the ranks, there is some great talent out there. I'm extremely confident of great things from them in the future and they'll overshadow the negativity."

The era Perry and her peers in sport are entering will be the most competitive, the most demanding and the most testing in sporting history. The reason for this is the electronic media's war to grab the largest possible share of the market. Sport has become entertainment and the money being injected into it by corporate sponsors and television companies globally often confounds belief. The run-off of these riches is enough to set an athlete up for life.

However, there is pressure for the new-age celebrity to perform for the media by providing insightful interviews. They must do the right thing by sponsors and corporates. They are expected to give a piece of themselves to the ever-growing army of fans. Oh, and they must, of course, succeed on the field.

As cricketer Adam Gilchrist revealed, daring to abide by a sense of fair play is scrutinised to determine whether there's an angle. Gilchrist "walked" - gave himself out - in the semi-final of a World Cup match against Sri Lanka in 2003. Before he'd even unbuckled his protective leg pads he was the subject of fierce talkback radio debate.

"Unfortunately, I was not surprised by the reaction," said Gilchrist at a Milo cricket clinic. "I didn't have an agenda; I still don't have an agenda. I didn't wake up that day and think to myself 'I'm going to make a statement'. It is the most often asked question of me and I guess that's disappointing when you're at an event like this clinic and you see the innocence and, dare I say, the purity of just having fun at sport.

"It's just not cricket, it's sport in general. There are more guys out there who have made the decision to walk. It just so happened I did it during a World Cup semi-final. It's not as if I'm a white knight - far from it. I don't want to be perceived as that. It's a reality check to how much is at stake. I don't necessarily think not walking is being disrespectful to the spirit of the game. It's just where the game is at.

"Recently when I played for Western Australia I roomed with a young player who has played about five first-class games. I was asked questions all week and my advice was to be honest to yourself and those close to you. I said to be that way when you bat, when you prepare, how you handle yourself, because at the end of the day you have to be accountable to the guy staring back to you in the mirror."

George Orwell warned years ago about the dangers that awaited when he said: "Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence."

Recent sports news has been dominated by the smirking face of an AFL footballer returning from a drug rehab centre in the US; the NRL has needed to introduce education classes on how to treat women; and there are constant reports of footballers from all codes involved in drunken rampages. They steal the media space once reserved for people who could run 100 metres in less than 10 seconds.

Yet there is still a goodness about sport that Australians, in particular, cling to. It is said to be our religion, and children are indoctrinated from an early with the miracles of such apostles as Steve Waugh, Ian Thorpe, Don Bradman and Dawn Fraser.

Three-time Olympian and dual gold medallist Susie O'Neill is now one of 26 Olympic education ambassadors to visit primary schools and share her childhood aspirations and sporting experiences.

"I am proud to be a part of this program," the former swimmer said. "I am a real believer in the Olympics and think children can learn a lot from the Games. It is wonderful I can impart to them some of the skills I learned through sport, such as discipline and doing your best."

There is no doubting the sincerity of the Australian Olympic Committee - and of O'Neill. Indeed, her message will undoubtedly give most kids hope and something decent to aspire to. However, leading sports psychologist Gavin Freeman says it might now be time to also start educating children about the red-light side of sport.

"You can't pull the wool over their eyes," he said. "Children today understand the ways of the world. They understand drug taking and they are well aware of paparazzi. We're dealing with an educated beast and we have to understand the importance of giving them the whole message about sport ... if we don't do it directly, then we must do it indirectly."

Ellis recently acted as a judge for the Rebel Rookies 2007 Awards, which gave seven young athletes $4000 in cash and equipment each. She said what shone through was the purity and nobility of the children's dreams.

"Each stated their goal as representing Australia," she said. "They all set high goals and it pleased me to see quite a few are on their way. As a child I was always driven to succeed, but I didn't realise I was choosing. All I could see is where I wanted to get to ... I loved netball and I wanted to be excellent. And that is what stood out with the applicants for the sponsorships."

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh is often sought as a mentor young athletes. His advice is always simple and to the point.

"I've spoken to a few young Olympians recently and I advise them to remember what they enjoyed most about the sport when they first started. If an athlete can carry that through their whole career they are going to be well off; lose it and they're going to struggle," he said.

"The money is so much more than when I was even playing, but the athletes pay for that by their loss of privacy. It is a different game now. The rewards are greater ... but the falls are greater as well."

GOOD OLD-FASHIONED SPORTSMANSHIP

THE US semi-finalists for the 100metres freestyle at the 1912 Olympics were disqualified for being late to the pool. Australia's Cec Healy thus became the fastest qualifier for the final, but when he learnt the Americans - including race favourite Duke Kahanamoku - had the wrong time he petitioned officials to restage the semi. They agreed and two Americans made the final. Kahanamoku won gold and Healy silver, but his act of sportsmanship endures.

At the 1956 national championships in Melbourne, John Landy accidentally clipped the heel of fellow miler Ron Clarke and sent him sprawling. Landy hurdled Clarke and despite everything that was on the line - a world record and the coming Olympics - ran back to apologise and ensure Clarke was OK. Landy went on to win in an incredible fourminutes, 4.2seconds.

During the 1958 Portuguese Grand Prix, Mike Hawthorn spun his car but was able to continue and finished second. Hawthorn was later accused of breaking the rules by restarting his car in the opposite direction. Stirling Moss leapt to his rival's defence and officials agreed to allow Hawthorn to keep seven points. Moss eventually lost the championship to Hawthorn by a point.

During the 1969 Ryder Cup, the US and Britain were tied going into the final match between England's Tony Jacklin and rookie Jack Nicklaus. The pair was equal at the 18th green but Jacklin's putt stopped well short of the hole. Nicklaus sank his putt leaving Jacklin with a putt to tie. Nicklaus picked up his opponent's ball to end play. It was the first time the cup ended in a tie.

At the Seoul Olympics in 1988 Grant Davies and Greg Barton (US) finished together in the K-1 1000m kayak final. The scoreboard flashed Davies the winner, sparking his wheelchair-bound father to stand and applaud. Eleven minutes later Davies was told he'd lost by eight millimetres. "The other bloke won it fair and square so what can you say?" Davies said. "If this is the biggest disappointment of my life, then I've got no worries."

© 2007 Sun Herald

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