A cricketer refuses to walk after being given out
- BRIAN LARA: At the time was the most famous Cricketer in the world, the biggest hitting batter in the world, who was famously given out for a ‘DUCK’. Lara as stunned and did not leave the field of play. In many sports it can be cruel, and Brian Lara was on the receiving end of his bat for the first time. Professional spots people spend there whole lives on a day to day basis practicing and focussing on there game getting themselves in perfect condition both mentally and physically. For someone of Brian Lara’s profile and reputation, being bowled out for a duck was hard to swallow, all that preparation, and his huge reputation had been destroyed in one swing. It’s hard to take and Brian just had to take it on the chin. This happens to many cricketers; other cricketers accept immediately and then leave the field of play. But because of the media hype surrounding Brian, I’m sure he was thinking of the back pages of the newspapers the next day!
A skier gets accused of taking performance enhancing drugs
- Alan Baxter: Baxter was stripped of his winter Olympic medal four years ago, because he was found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs. Why did he use them? Drugs in sport, particularly in athleics, have become a huge problem. Athletes are finding themselves under lots of pressure to perform, so any advantage they can use is often worth the risk. Just like in other sports, athletes have to prepare themselves both mentally and physically. With all the major hype and media attention from around the world, in Olympic events, the stakes are raised. These competitions are held every 4 years, so athletes have this amount of time to prepare themselves for it. A career in athletics can be very short, and money needs to be earnt. If a doctor tells an athlete that he can get away with using a drug, then he will try and use it if he feels he isn’t up to the task of winning on him own.
A rugby player receives a ban for violent conduct on the field of play.
- Umaga and Mealamu: these two players where responsible for ending Brian O’driscoll’s Lions tour with an illegal move which saw the players sent off the field of play. The tackle was so bad that the player broke his collar bone and had to retire from the tour. After the game the players claimed they had no idea that the tackle was illegal. The players new full well that with all the attention on the high profile matches, that repercussions would be expected. The players acted ‘dumb’ to the situation to avoid further bans or even fines. The media is a powerful tool in professional sport. And knowing how to spin things in your favour is a very big attribute to have. What should have happened if the players where to be honest would be to apologise for such a poor tackle and accept punishment. Instead, the players tried to use the cameras to get themselves out of trouble at the expense of Brian O’driscoll’s.
Recommendations on how athletes should act in the future
-
David Beckham: at the time, Beckham was a young player, even though he had media training and his mental preparation, Beckham still managed to lose his cool and lash out. In the future, I believe that the coach could try his best to protect young players, a lot of pressure was but on Beckham as a young gifted player. Perhaps in the future the coach could try and shift the pressure onto more experienced players in the squad. Older players have been in these situations before and have seen what can happen to players who lose there cool in pinnacle moments.
-
Rivaldo: Rivaldo was a player with great intelligence and experience, he was idolised by many young people throughout the world. The player knew full well what his actions would cause, and eventually he was fined for those actions. In the future, coaches should put more responsibility on older players, especially the best ones, not only do the represent the team, and they represent the country and the future generation who aspire to them. Play acting is not a part of the game people like to see, young people copy it. Players should be made to think for the younger people who watch them play.
-
Brian Lara: Brian Lara was made to feel embarrassed, that is why he did not leave the field. Because of all the hype and media attention he brings to the game, he is always in the spotlight. In the future perhaps the coach needs to spend more time with the player on his preparation, and it wouldn’t hurt to drop a player if the coach feels he isn’t fully focussed, no matter how good the player is. A player giving 110% is worth a lot more on the pitch than someone giving 60%. Dropping a high profile player is a brave decision, but you cannot let ego get in front of ability.
-
Alan Baxter: In Alan’s case, I think that if the coach had spent more time on motivating the player, he may have not used the drugs, sports players need to believe that they are the greatest players that ever lived, as soon as you start to chip away at people’s minds, their confidence drops, and therefore concentration drops too. Maybe that’s why he took the drugs, because he didn’t believe he was good enough to win. The coach must always try and protect the athlete from any pitfalls that he can see. Maybe the athlete was afraid of failing his country. Maybe there was a lot of hype put on Baxter to succeed, in that case, the coach should do his best to steer any attention on the athlete, elsewhere so that he can stay focussed on his training.
-
Umaga and Mealamu: what these two players did was unacceptable, maybe the coach in the future can make examples of players who think they know best. Maybe the players have too much influence in training sessions and believe they can do what they want out on the pitch? Players who take the laws of the game into their own hands should be prepared to accept the consequences. What theses two players did was cowardly, first for injuring the player, and secondly trying to escape punishment.
Task 2
Interview
- What was you reaction when you signed professional papers?
“Thrilled, excited, positive, I felt very honoured to sign for Blackburn Rovers.”
- How did you react to your sudden rise to fame?
“I tried to keep my feet on the ground, I was obviously taken back by it all, but soon learnt that this is the way your life will be as a footballer. I feel im still the same person as I was rowing up, im lucky that I have people around me who help me stay focussed.”
- Did you feel that people acted differently around you?
“ yes and no, the people I can call my close friends still treat me just the same, but meeting people new, I find that because of my stature as a footballer, people are a little more opinionated, and may find me a little more interesting than before because of my job.”
- How did you react to the crowd when you first stepped onto the pitch?
“It was a huge moment for me, and something I will never forget, to have 25,000 people cheering me on amazing, it gives you so much confidence, and I felt like I could fly!”
- What was going through your mind when you did your first live interview?
“As a footballer, we have a little training in handling media attention, so I was trying very hard to think carefully about what I was being asked, I try not too give too much away or fall into a media trap, you never know what reporter can print!”
- How do you respond to negative and positive press?
“ I try not to read the papers too much, especially about myself, the English press have always had a habit of building players up and then knocking them back down, so if I do here a positive, I take it as a compliment, negative stuff, I tend to not let it bother me”
- How did you cope with your first red card?
“I was extremely upset with myself, and felt I had let the entire team down, not to mention my family. But I have great people around me and my coach helped me pick myself up, red and yellow cards will happen, its part of the game, and I’ve just got to keep my concentration now, and hope I don’t get another one! I hadn’t been on the pitch too long and I got a bit over excited in a tackle!”
- How have you handled your success in league 2?
“obviously, I am very pleased, im a young player with high ambitions, I don’t feel I have anything to prove in League 2 now, and hope that next season I can have a look in a tougher league, perhaps in the championship.”
- You must obviously have a plan for your career, what’s your next step?
“Right now im just thinking about the present, I said earlier that I would like to look at a team in the Championship, but im a Blackburn Rovers player, and I just want to keep working hard and hopefully get a chance in the first team.”
- How do you feel about the positive comments Mark Hughes has given you lately in the press?
“Mark Hughes is a fantastic Manager, and to here positive comments from him is a fantastic boost for me, I just hope I can continue my good progress and eventually my knock on the door will be answered.”
Evaluation
- The interview went quite well, I think I gave some good questions for the player to answer
- It was interesting to here the players response to questions on the media
- The player has been well trained in and has had a lot of experience now in answering questions.
- Perhaps in the future, I could asked some more challenging questions, an example would be on how he felt when he was sent on loan, perhaps even ask the player what he thought of the manager at that time?
- Players often think that they know best, so if he is in disagreement with a manager’s decision, it could be interesting to see how the player responds.
