We are too judgmental of our sportsmen’s off-field actions. Twenty years ago they were judged by what they did on the field, not how they conducted themselves in their social lives. With the increase of overzealous reporting and social media, sporting stars are now treated like Hollywood movie stars.
If players are out having a drink, there is always someone there trying to egg them on to create news. Sportsmen are role models and have a duty to behave themselves, but more often than not the media goes too far. In professional sports, young athletes train harder than ever and tend to miss out on what other young people enjoy. This makes many of them socially inept, so we need to teach these kids how to conduct themselves when they are out and about.
On the flip side of the coin, there are those in sports who are let off too easily. David Nalbandian kicked an advertising board in the direction of a linesman at the Queen’s club tennis final in London, injuring the man and drawing blood. He was rightfully thrown out of the final for his stupidity, however, some idiots in the media thought this was harsh! What’s harsh, or rather unbelievable, is that he is lining up to compete at Wimbledon when he should have been banned from the sport for at least 12 months. It appears that we now live in a world where behavior on the playing field is less important than conduct off it.
My advice to young athletes is to be very careful. Don’t get on twitter or facebook, and when you go out on the town, go with a minder to make sure you don’t get into trouble. Don’t talk to the media as they’ll twist your words. These days, you really have to compose yourself off the field, however, when you are on the field it appears that you can get away with behaving like an imbecile – go figure!
I’m James Potter and I’m pulling no punches.
