Interessante perspektief, dink julle nie? Sport must be accountable when heroes become villains It may seem emotional rather than rational, but the idea of Oscar Pistorius returning to the track competitively feels wrong, suggests Derval ORourke. Sport is more than just a means of entertainment. We obsess, analyse, monitor and idolise teams and competitors and sport has a huge influence on society. When sportspeople are caught up in criminal behaviour how should their governing bodies react? In recent weeks, we’ve had the Oscar Pistorius trial and witnessed the NFL slide into a downward spiral with their handling of domestic violence issues. When events in the world of sport transcend the field of play and become criminal, it’s difficult to know where the responsibilities of the sporting bodies lies, but they’ve usually had a pivotal role in facilitating the star’s rise to stardom. Their voices must be heard when incidents occur. Oscar Pistorius’ life story was about achieving the seemingly impossible and it ticked all the boxes for capturing our attention. He had his legs amputated but managed to become one of the best athletes in the world. Everyone was happy to herald his story of triumph and hold him up as a hero. The image of him exploding out of the blocks at the London Olympics was one of the biggest stories of the Games. It followed the narrative we all treasure, triumph in the face of adversity. If there were signs he wasn’t quite as saintly as the story demanded, most were happy to overlook them, as they didn’t fit the script. Pistorius’s fall from grace has been colossal. He is now a criminal, found guilty of the culpable homicide of his girlfriend Reeva Steencamp in February last year. The most important point to remember from the circus that was his trial is that a young woman was shot dead. The reason this case was so huge in terms of coverage was because the person who pulled the trigger was a sports hero. That is a sad depiction of the world we live in. There seems little value on someone’s life. The reason the Pistorius case grabbed so much attention was because of his status. His fame has been achieved through sport but where does that leave sport in dealing with Pistorius going forward? He has yet to be sentenced by the courts, this could be anything from no jail time up to 15 years. Let’s hypothesize that Pistorius doesn’t serve any jail time. He has been found guilty of culpable homicide, essentially the negligent killing of another human being. At age 28, it’s feasible he could have at least five more good competitive years in him. Pistorius is within his legal rights to return to competitive sport. It is his job. However that is far too simplistic a way to look at it. Pistorius’s job is hugely visible and everybody is aware he has just been found guilty of this crime. I believe it’s impossible to separate the crime from his work as an athlete. It may seem emotional rather than rational but the idea of Pistorius returning to the track competitively feels wrong. The lines are blurred because sport is a business and business is about making money. The stories behind the performances are what sells sport. Without his story, Oscar Pistorius would not have become one of the most revered sports stars, earning millions in endorsements. Competitive sport gave him a platform to sell his story and benefit massively. It seems impossible to put to the side what he did and return to watching him on the track. At the same time the Pistorius trial was closing, the National Football League in America was becoming embroiled in its own nightmare. Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice was given a two-match ban for a domestic violence incident involving his wife to be, that has now been increased to a suspension from playing. Last February in a hotel lift Rice punched his then fiancé Janay Rice in the face and knocked her unconscious. The incident garnered massive attention in the US after website TMZ leaked a video of the crime several months after the event. The fact that it has become public means the NFL’s handling of the incident has been put under massive scrutiny. They have shown complete ineptitude in dealing with it. This league with a supposed zero tolerance policy towards domestic violence deemed it appropriate to give a player who knocked his fiancée unconscious a two match ban. The Rice case is one of many domestic violence cases the NFL has had to deal with. There is a personal conduct policy in place for players in the NFL and what is apparent is that players have routinely received lesser punishments for domestic violence than other offences like drug use or drink driving. Their commissioner, Roger Goodell, went silent for nine days after the video was leaked and he later emerged to conduct a press conference that failed to give any answers. Coming up with a strategy against domestic violence isn’t straightforward but Goodell and the NFL should have been able to do far better than they have up to this point. They seem to be reacting to the outrage rather than the crime. It’s estimated the NFL’s female fan base makes up about 45% of their total fans. For them to be so incredibly lacking in strong leadership and show they haven’t much of a clue on how to handle domestic violence is really damaging. Just as sport has the power to create heroes, it must be accountable when these heroes become villains. irishexaminer/sport/columnists/derval-orourke/derval-orourke-sport-must-be-accountable-when-heroes-become-villains-288211.html
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 16:50:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015