ISN’T it great that women’s teams in AFL, Rugby League, Rugby Sevens and other competitions are finally getting the support and airplay they deserve! It’s been a long time coming.
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Many years ago, when I was manager of the local Prime TV station, I would encourage the sports reporters and crews to get out to cover women’s netball, swimming and sporting events. The question hanging in the air was always “would enough people watch this on TV”?
I think we can say yes to that. Yet more remains to be done. When the Big Bash League cricket came to Albury on December 13 last year, it was going to be a male-only affair. I am pleased to say that a push – and funding – came from the NSW government to get women’s teams here too.
History was made that day, here in Albury, as it was the first time a Women’s Big Bash League match was played regionally for points (unlike the men’s match).
Shifts in the sporting world impact on our society. One of the most interesting is the question as to whether sports stars should be considered role models for young people.
Yes, they are stars, and many become household names as celebrities (think of Border greats like Margaret Court and Lauren Jackson).
But are we asking too much of sportsmen and sportswomen to put them on pedestals as role models?
On reflection, I would have to say the record of success is fairly mixed when it comes to calling male footballers “role models”. Their behaviour on and off the oval can bring us to laughter or tears.
And let’s not get started on the culture of sledging that has infected our national cricket team, to various degrees, over the last decade or so.
This is not just stretching the boundaries of good sportsmanship – it can trample it on the ground. In the immortal words of singer Kasey Chambers, it’s not pretty enough.
Often, of course, some of our most promising and exciting sports stars were picked up by talent scouts while still at school, and have known little of life other than what they pick up around the clubhouse.
Fuel this with hard physical work, plenty of money, a culture blending sport with alcohol, and too much adulation, and few of us could resist stumbling.
As women’s sports get wider coverage, and more women become celebrated as stars, fans will find out more about their lives and exploits.
At times, there have been sports commentators who have taken a moment to remind us that sports stars should not be taken as role models for young people.
But if not our sports stars, then who are the best role models? Who can we look to for inspiration in the internet age? When a phone is in almost everyone’s hand, all of the day (and, for some, the night too), we are never far from sources of influence – which is quite a different thing to “inspiration”.
Gangsta rappers, dubious politicians, cancer “fraud” fundraisers. Recently, Pepsi was canned for running a video ad that appropriated the symbols of public protest movements. Bad taste. Religious and philosophical figures like Mahatma Gandhi remain important role models for many. Pop stars too – have you read the book, What Would Keith Richards Do? Daily Affirmations from a Rock’n’Roll Survivor?
My best wishes go to all sports stars – men and women – who must survive becoming a role model. Do the best you can because, heaven knows, we all need those who inspire us to become better people.
Greg Aplin is NSW MP for Albury.