The sports stars we see and hear and respect for being the
nice guys or the nice girls aren't always as they seem.
There are a number of New Zealand examples (all of whom
shall remain unnamed, but hinted at) in rugby, netball,
golf and league who seem almost angelic...but from
experience some of them are less than nice at times and
lack certain social graces.
At times New Zealand sportspeople have brushed past
awaiting fans and media without even the slightest
acknowledgement, despite fans having waited over an hour
for their idols in cold and damp conditions.
Media may not be the nicest of people all the time but
when you're the only person from your nation at an event
and one of your own brushes you off in front of a crowd
knowing that the entire national media of New Zealand is
relying on you then there are attitude problems which need
to be adjusted. Just 30 seconds to say hello or a quick
comment can rectify any situation.
"A badminton example of
'role models' or perhaps just good professionalism is
Dan Shirley and Sara Runesten Petersen."
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This is almost the norm from some sports stars, but it's
not always reported to the public and of course some
sports stars could do no wrong as they sell their story of
being wonderful parents etc to weekly women's magazines. But then what is expected by the public and what actually
occurs are and have always been two different things.
Certainly
it is not the role of any sportsperson to be a role model
to a child. That should be the domain of a parent. However
there is a certain amount of responsibility for sports
stars to maintain an amount of decorum and remember they
are being watched and that youngsters (and older people
too) do look up to them. So being a "dumbass" won't lead to any respect from the public.
A clear factor which should be remembered by sportspeople
is that there is someone watching them nearly all the time
and wanting to be as good as them. Any aspiring sports
person should ask themselves how did I start in a sport
and who did I look up to as a junior. It's usually the
local player first and then the internationals. Without
someone to look up to or aspire to and eventually beat,
there would be no pathway to become a champion, or even
just a good club player
A badminton example of 'role models' or perhaps just good
professionalism is Dan Shirley and Sara Runesten Petersen.
As a
duo they excelled for New Zealand. They also made
themselves readily available to the media and to their
fans. In return the media loved the pair and gave the
sport more attention than it had ever received. Part of
this may have been that a number of media fell in love
with Sara...but that's a different story.
They were always aware of the younger badminton players
around them and how parents wanted their kids to be like
them. In the end it helped them with sponsorship and
created a feel good factor around them.
So far New Zealand's badminton representatives have been
very congenial at all levels and have learned that they
have to work hard to gain the general public's attention
and support and that they need to have the badminton
community behind them first to gain the backing of those
outside of their sport.
Remembering where you came from and who helped you
get there is a lesson everyone needs to take heed of.
