Successful and respected musician Trent Reznor was recently and undeservedly booed off stage during an Auckland Nine Inch Nails concert in Auckland (and takes the blame) ; the crowd at Westpac Stadium united in jeering and booing the French team as they attempted a penalty kick to close the game within a point; and now I learn that a French back, Mathieu Bastareaud was physically assaulted in Wellington after the match. What is happening to us Aotearoa?
When I was growing up in New Zealand I remember being taught – from the media as much as my parents – that our country may be little, but was a global superpower when it came to morals and reputation. Clean and Green, Nuclear Free, and it seems we can now add to the list: bad sports.
I can somewhat understand the tension that must have been present during Saturday nights match, especially since France have now knocked us out of two World Cups, and had beaten us at Carisbrook the week before. But after the game was over, the All Blacks certain victors… physical assault? Really?
Commenting on the Bastareaud’s beating, the French rugby team “insists his bashing in Wellington won’t provoke any anti-New-Zealand sentiment”. As an isolated incident, perhaps not. But alongside the same team being pelted with beer bottles in Dunedin (which happens all too often at New Zealand sporting events) and other named occurrences, as well as numerous unnamed others, we are no doubt earning the reputation as bad sports overseas.
New Zealand as a social and sporting nation always had pride in the mana and stature with which we presented ourselves. This is the very thing which once made the All Blacks so ‘great’. It pains me to see us spoiling this.
If we wish for our sport teams to succeed, perhaps we need to take some responsibility ourselves. The fans are players on that field as well, and share the responsibilty we place on our sporting teams when we ask them to represent us on the world stage. Spectators simply cannot escape or ignore that responsibilty or, it sadly seems, it can lead to beatings.
I agree with BK Drinkwater; this is sickening.
Successful and respected musician Trent Reznor was recently and undeservedly booed off stage during an Auckland Nine Inch Nails concert in Auckland (and takes the blame) ; the crowd at Westpac Stadium united in jeering and booing the French team as they attempted a penalty kick to close the game within a point; and now I learn that a French back, Mathieu Bastareaud was physically assaulted in Wellington after the match. What is happening to us Aotearoa?
When I was growing up in New Zealand I remember being taught – from the media as much as my parents – that our country may be little, but was a global superpower when it came to morals and reputation. Clean and Green, Nuclear Free, and it seems we can now add to the list: bad sports.
I can somewhat understand the tension that must have been present during Saturday nights match, especially since France have now knocked us out of two World Cups, and had beaten us at Carisbrook the week before. But after the game was over, the All Blacks certain victors… physical assault? Really?
Commenting on the Bastareaud’s beating, the French rugby team “insists his bashing in Wellington won’t provoke any anti-New-Zealand sentiment”. As an isolated incident, perhaps not. But alongside the same team being pelted with beer bottles in Dunedin (which happens all too often at New Zealand sporting events) and other named occurrences, as well as numerous unnamed others, we are no doubt earning the reputation as bad sports overseas.
New Zealand as a social and sporting nation always had pride in the mana and stature with which we presented ourselves. This is the very thing which once made the All Blacks so ‘great’. It pains me to see us spoiling this.
If we wish for our sport teams to succeed, perhaps we need to take some responsibility ourselves. The fans are players on that field as well, and share the responsibilty we place on our sporting teams when we ask them to represent us on the world stage. Spectators simply cannot escape or ignore that responsibilty or, it sadly seems, it can lead to beatings.
I agree with BK Drinkwater; this is sickening.
1 comment:
Proof we do indeed live in a classless society. Sigh.
Post a Comment