A footballer's life: confusion, temptation and guilt by association

[adamkungl]

Players should be allowed to have a drink, have sex with whoever they want to, as long as its within the law.

Media personalities should not be making a big issue about a player drinking or having sex and then complaining that they are supposed to be role models.

Stick to reporting about the game rather than players personal lives and the kiddies won't know their hero has sex and drinks beer.

Gallop is obviously a ftm tranny.

bingo

 

[Perth Red]

and back in the real world! Like it or not sports "stars" are no different to pop stars or movie stars. They are there as entertainers to the public and therefore the public has a weird fascination with the person they see on the field, stage, screen every week.

Take a look at how many gossip mags there are at the supermarket checkout to see just how many people are actually interested in the BS of "stardom".

Reality is these players are paid big money as they are big names. With that will come media scrutiny. It ain't going to change anytime soon! All we can do is find better ways of manipulating and controlling the media.

 

[dannyboy]

Reality is these players are paid big money as they are big names. With that will come media scrutiny. It ain't going to change anytime soon! All we can do is find better ways of manipulating and controlling the media.

Bull effin sh*t!! They are not paid the sort of $$$ to warrant the maggots of the media bagging them and then have their own employers standing back, watching it happen and then punish them as well. I dare say that there are numerous posters on this very forum that earn way beyond the average footballer who go about drinking themselves paraletic and humping anyone they please in total anonimity.

The media loves to play the role model card but I'd wager that most kids view the footballer's sporting talents as something to emulate but look closer to home for how to live....the kids are smart enough to differentiate an 80 minute game of sport from the other 10,000 minutes in a week, shame the media doesn't.

 

[BroncoBuck]

RL players don't get paid a lot, or at least most don't. But all have these ridiculous restraints placed on their social lives.

Last time I looked pop stars or movie stars are not subject to a salary cap. Gallop is inviting a strike on the cap if he keeps failing to defend the players. If they want them to act like role models they should be paid accordingly.

 

[StormChaser]

Great articles, thanks for posting them up. We need more of that.

 

[Brutus]

Reality is these players are paid big money as they are big names.

One of the greatest throwaway lines/myths doing the rounds over the last 3 or 4 years.

A small percentage are paid decent money, many of them are not paid big money at all.

Jake Friend is on a 50K contract and demanded an entire back page story for DUI.

 

[Garts]

Big money my arse. A select few from every team are but thats it. The average wage is $160k from memory, when you consider each team has a number of big name players earning twice that the median wage would fall considerably as a result. Players earning $100k do not deserve to be put under the level of scrutiny they receive.

 

[BroncoBuck]

Big money my arse. A select few from every team are but thats it. The average wage is $160k from memory, when you consider each team has a number of big name players earning twice that the median wage would fall considerably as a result. Players earning $100k do not deserve to be put under the level of scrutiny they receive.

Exactly, and throw in that you only earn that for maybe 10 years, then it's hardly an attractive career choice from a commercial perspective.

 

[Surely]

Exactly, and throw in that you only earn that for maybe 10 years, then it's hardly an attractive career choice from a commercial perspective.

Yes but on the positive side they get a lot of rooting accomplished in those 10 years.

 

[myanonymoususername]

Exactly, and throw in that you only earn that for maybe 10 years, then it's hardly an attractive career choice from a commercial perspective.

They do have an obvious choice if they don't like it - don't play footy at the top level.

The articles make some valid points, although there's a bit of "suck it up princess and deal with it" in the complaints too.

The NRL and clubs would help by being discerning about what is important and what isn't. And if something is insignificant be prepared to say, piss off its none of our business or yours. In this category I'd put things like being seen pissed on the odd occasion, pissing on a tree, rooting mentally competent and emotionally stable women by yourself in places where you are not making a public spectacle of yourself, eg public toilets. It becomes the clubs and media's business when (a) a player is a habitual dickhead (b) they harm other people (c) they make a spectacle of themselves that is embarassing by any criteria, not just because they were high profile (by this I mean, do something any of us should be ashamed of, whether your Fred Nerk, Kevin Rudd or a high profile footy player). In my view being charged by police for any criminal offence involving dishonesty, assault or sexual assault is legitimate concern for the club and media and should result in suspension from playing, regardless who it is. Standard practice in many companies is to suspend employees charged with crimes until the matter is cleared up, or at the very least remove them from customer facing roles.

It goes without saying that education on social and sexual etiquette, risk management and understanding of actions, consequences, cause and effect should be revved up (clearly some of the players' parents didn't work hard enough on instilling necessary values and behaviours in their sons, though, if the clubs and NRL need to do this, but be that as it may).

Clubs and the NRL would help by being consistent in treating their problem children. The same offence should see the same penalties, regardless of the player's talents or worth to the team. Sure, things like first offence vs repeat sinners should be taken into account. The level of embarassment to the club should only be one of many considerations.

Clubs and players themselves could help by weeding out the dickheads. Name them, shame them, insist their club kick them out, refuse to play in the same team as them, not hire another club's dickheads just because they have talent. If the clubs and players actively worked on getting the dickheads out of the game quickly, it becomes very difficult to tar the 95% or so who are decent hardworking guys with the same brush as the dickheads.

The NRL and clubs also need to lift their game at media management. Figure out what the AFL does - copy it. At least do something different to what they do now which is clearly failing.

 

[dannyboy]

Clubs and players themselves could help by weeding out the dickheads. Name them, shame them, insist their club kick them out, refuse to play in the same team as them, not hire another club's dickheads just because they have talent. If the clubs and players actively worked on getting the dickheads out of the game quickly, it becomes very difficult to tar the 95% or so who are decent hardworking guys with the same brush as the dickheads.

So once a dickhead always a dickhead...no accounting for the fact that a better coach or team culture/club environment may be able to turn the kid around...not to mention growing up a bit beyond the bullet proof years.

The clubs & players should be doing more community service work outside of training helping to promote the game - use up some of their idle hours

 

[adamkungl]

Who gives a f**k if they're dickheads, they're payed to be footy players, their social lives should have nothing to do with it unless they break the law. 'dickheads' used to be 'characters'. Now there are media trained drones, and dickheads.
I'm sick of the media placing wowser moral standards that are well above those of the majority of society on footy players

 

[myanonymoususername]

So once a dickhead always a dickhead...no accounting for the fact that a better coach or team culture/club environment may be able to turn the kid around...not to mention growing up a bit beyond the bullet proof years.

Nice in theory, but bitter experience generally shows that 20 year old dickheads grow up to become 25 year old dickheads, then 30 year old dickheads. There is the odd exception of course.

 

[Surely]

Nice in theory, but bitter experience generally shows that 20 year old dickheads grow up to become 25 year old dickheads, then 30 year old dickheads. There is the odd exception of course.

They are footy players not doctors. Mind you there a few dickhead doctors out there too.

How about Gallop refuses to register any contracts unless the player was part of the school chess club.

Probably pay to check whether the chess club had been involved in any group sex situations though.

 

[Non Terminator]

Nice in theory, but bitter experience generally shows that 20 year old dickheads grow up to become 25 year old dickheads, then 30 year old dickheads. There is the odd exception of course.

There isn't odd exceptions in my opinion. Individual cases all round.

 

[$$Poor Boy Blues$$]

rl does all its laundry and house cleaning through the media.

nothing is swept under the carpet.

Its a grim consequence of being in bed with media organistations. They use league.

These things ALWAYS end up in one of two ways. This whole fiasco is going full circle right about now, and we are about to emerge on the other side with soul searching articles like the ones we are seeing now, and either 1. By next season it will all be forgotten about and nothing will have changed - i.e players continue as always and a few get sprung again (but with less media attention) or 2. People take heed and the media can report on how we have changed and how good we are now . ie the bull dust and fluff stories that are always just out of the main coverage and read mainly by keen onlookers and not ordinary folk. Unless Roy Masters or phil gould does it.

Its a mirror of life. In life peoples realities are questioned and they make a choice. Eg...as in a teenager being told to change his ways, and pressure placed, he either accepts the new way or he rejects it and continues until the next time the choice comes up.

People either deny it and determine NOT to fit the new idea into their reality or they buckle and accept it and slot it in to their reality.

Actually, it surprises me that people HATE the way the papers do things They are the mirrors of human nature, and such is why they are so successful all the time. And after all, the public has a right to know.

 

[adamkungl]

Nice in theory, but bitter experience generally shows that 20 year old dickheads grow up to become 25 year old dickheads, then 30 year old dickheads. There is the odd exception of course.

No. Imo MOST 20 year old pissheads, dickheads, immature morons, etc often grow to become good parents and family men, good blokes with some hilarious drinking stories.

Most people are dumbarses at 20.

 

[$$Poor Boy Blues$$]

No. Imo MOST 20 year old pissheads, dickheads, immature morons, etc often grow to become good parents and family men, good blokes with some hilarious drinking stories.

Most people are dumbarses at 20.

indeed its a proven fact that most people are dumbasses at 20.

peoples brain chemistry changes over the years. by 45 its different again, and more about seeking meaning in life. (which is why many 45 year olds are going through a mid life crisis)....at 20 you are way different to how you would be at even 30.

By 30 you are ready to start a family. You wont mind usually (not always) being tied down to a job/family.

Its different for everyone, but almost always the young are reckless and keen to explore new things and dont want to settle down.

 

[Kiki]

No. Imo MOST 20 year old pissheads, dickheads, immature morons, etc often grow to become good parents and family men, good blokes with some hilarious drinking stories.

Most people are dumbarses at 20.

yep agree!

 

[Miller was a legend]

No. Imo MOST 20 year old pissheads, dickheads, immature morons, etc often grow to become good parents and family men, good blokes with some hilarious drinking stories.

Most people are dumbarses at 20.

One of the more intelligent posts I have read in this forum. You are 100% on the money Adam. You cannot put an old head on a young mans body. Growing up is about making mistakes. We have all been there and done that, we have all been lead astray by others and done some dumb shyte, which we look back at and have a giggle about now. The problemhere is the media use these kids mistakes, create outrage and blame clubs.

At the end of the day, they are learning. We should not judge these kids and nor should the media. They just need a clip over the ear and a kick up the arse, like many of us had at that age. Not have their name and future torn apart by overzealous media wankers who only care about selling their rubbish newspapers.