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Tazo's. You know what they are. When i was at school they were known as "Pog", an innocent symbol of youth. A form of social currency, to be traded amongst school friends as freely as trade flows within the borders of the European Union. Schoolyard squabbles over perceived value of such tazos were mediated by child 'experts' who understood the market value of certain cards, and were prepared to bargain in order to attain the best and most enviable pog/card there was. In my day, an NBA Dennis Rodman Rookie card would sell on the street for at least $100, so i was told. A Mark Gasnier card today would be worth a pittance - with market analysts urging those with said card to sell immediately, before the market dwindles any further.
The thriving, rapidly expanding Tazo industry threatens to undermine the NRL, and thankfully Mark Gasnier has alerted the Rugby League authorities of the dire need to act now before the player exodus increases even further. One way the NRL could act would be to give each player a royalty on each card that is sold by the Daily Telegraph, so that they don't just get a measly lump sum of $1000, a tremendously low sum for players consenting to have their image plastered on a NRL card for children. Much like Radio Stations pay royalty fees to APRA, who in turn pay a small fee to a band whose song is getting air-time; each time a child trades a card/tazo in the schoolyard, a yearly fee that is paid by the child to the NRL is then forwarded upon trading directly into the pocket of whichever player the tazo is themed upon. Therefore the players get their money, the children get their tazos (albeit at a slightly higher price), and players will stay in the NRL.
Gasnier should be shaking his head at the sheer nerve of the Telegraph to not reimburse him with a lucrative pay out for having his image on the NRL tazos. One can only imagine the disgust one would have, as a professional rugby league player, to have your own image out there in the playground, to the enjoyment and adulation of young school-children who admire your brilliant footwork and speed. Just having that image bandied around in the public is obviously enough to make one restless at night.
But why stop at the Tazo's? Rugby league players deserve more than just royalties from Tazo sales. The whining about wages and 3rd party contracts are wearing thin on the punter, who could be forgiven for confusing the NRL with the Federal Treasury. Perhaps a NRL player budget should be drawn up and delivered by David Gallop, to relieve the pressure on working-class players. Although, i'm not sure Gasnier would approve of such a budget, particularly if the NRL followed in the footsteps of the Federal Government's luxury car tax.
Therefore the only rational solution to this dilemma lies in our hands - the public. Let us give to the players, dig deep into our pockets and help keep our great players in the competition. Perhaps we should have a collection bucket go around at every NRL game this week (and every week), with fans throwing in a gold coin to help keep our players in the competition. 10,000 people at a game could bring in $20,000 dollars, which we could then give to the players after the game as a symbol of our "thanks", for being the admirable heroes that they are. Because they deserve it, contrary to what is said by sections of the media. I would love nothing more than to tell my first-born that "I saw Mark Gasnier play, and here's a Daily Telegraph Footy Tazo to prove it". Unfortunately, i would only have been contributing to the problem, by buying a tazo pack that props up a News Ltd publication, instead of helping pay our sorely underpaid players important royalties that will keep them in the game.
Shame on you, News Ltd. First Super League, now "Tazo-gate"! I have no bones about using the "gate" suffix for this controversy. This is worse than Watergate and 'Iguana-gate' combined. This is Rugby League, our livelihood!!! Please, won't somebody think of the children??
-SportingMind
Exceptionnel!! Sunday's 9th stage led the weary riders through the mountainous French Pyrenees, with Cadel Evans recovering from an early tumble to finish in a solid postion moving into today's 10th stage. Evans hit the turf so hard that his helmet cracked, leaving the roving doctor to rather skillfully administer antiseptic to his battered leg whilst driving alongside Evans in a vehicle. Merde!!
SportingMind enjoys the Tour de France purely for the chance to learn a few French words whilst admiring the French countryside. Words such as peloton, contre la montre, le maillot a pois, etc. Using these in conversation allow me to combine learning with viewing sport, a combination not seen since i learned all about criminal law from Australian footballers - be it sex offences or drug possession charges.
I must say however, that a visit to cadel.com is a rare treat. His video message was a touching salute to his fans "G'day everydone, thank you very much for all your support and messages, i really appreciate it", albeit very short and sweet. It is also touching that on his website there is a "Free Tibet" t-shirt sponsor advertisement, with 20% of the proceeds going to Tibetan students. Looking further into this sponsor's link, one can also purchase socks that are emblazoned with the words "bitch", "flirt" and "sassy". An opportunity not to be passed on.
But who is Cadel Evans? Other than a ginger, grizzled version of Craig Lowndes with a softly spoken voice; Evans is actually a South Sydney League supporter, an ex-mountain biker, married to a classical pianist and has broken his collar-bone over 7 times, according to the Tour commentators. Outspoken against drug cheats and unafraid to speak in the 3rd person, Cadel is a "Territory tough" NT-born cyclist, who donated his $50,000 Herald Sports Performer of the Year prize to Charity late last year.
I want to like him. He's a tough Australian cyclist who is generous towards charities and seems to be morally upstanding. But do i need my sporting identities to be loud, obnoxious, brutish and belligerent for me to recognise them? Do i need them to splashed across the papers, a la Willie Mason, therefore constructing my opinion of said sportman for me? Is there a place in Australian sport for the family man, a stoic performer who is battling away at possibly the most physical and mentally challenging sporting competition that exists? Or does mere performance not lend itself to media attention, instead leaving such athletes to create their own websites, in which they personally address fans first-hand in a very amateurish fashion.
Vive Cadel Evans. I genuinely hope you win this year's Tour de France. And i can continue to pretend i understand the French language, when in reality i am merely typing words into an online translator.
-SportingMind
Since the State of Origin series came to its dramatic close, SportingMind has been hard pressed finding any news on the NRL, or indeed any footballing code, that doesn't involve some kind of ridiculous controversy. Whether it is verbal abuse ('Blocker' Roach), Racial abuse (directed at Petero Civoniceva by a guy with the hilarious name of Sper Vega - or am i being racist here?..), physical abuse (Barry Hall), or sexual abuse (insert any given first grade/reserve grade NRL player). With a list as long and limitless as Nate Myles's forehead, it is no wonder we are beginning to forget what is actually happening on the field, instead captivated by the relentless barrage of media statements from accused footballers.
The NRL season is becoming drab, ho-hum if you will, as we crawl ever so slowly towards the month of September; that Spring month where the flowers begin to bloom, birds churpily re-annnounce themselves in the mornings, and we finally crown some NRL team as the winner of the (insert most recent NRL sponsor) Cup. Surely we can just give the trophy to Melbourne and skip off with a 2 month early mark? Another reason for my wanton desire to eliminate the next 2 months of football is so i can avoid hearing about the month of September. September is coming, the fabulous month of September! Players begin their obligatory quotes; "We just want to make sure we are going to be there in September". "Nothing matters before September". We get it. September is when the grand-final is. But please don't use September as an event, lingusitically speaking. It is a month of the year. Be more specific. "We really want to be there on the 28th of September for the Grand Final", i would much prefer.
To be honest i was not even aware that Manly, Cronulla and the (Sydney?) Roosters are actually leading the comp, with Melbourne 2 points behind the trio. When did Cronulla get good? Are they still called Cronulla? What is the real identity of the Roosters, are they the Sydney Roosters, or am i a few years behind? God, i'm so out of the "loop".
The sheer amount of articles i have read on Barry Hall is bordering on predatory, but i swear i'm not a stalker, it's just that my paper of choice (SMH) has been filled to the brim with a ratio of Barry Hall/ Barry Hall articles written BY Barry Hall / Actual Non-Barry Hall related News of 4:4:1.
The funniest part of this saga is the psycho-analysis that has come with his latest indiscretion. Fellow players and coaches are digging deep, beneath the brooding exterior of Barry, and attempting to rationalise why Barry did what he did. "Experts" have pointed out the fact that he has had some relationship difficulties, hence explaining his need to assault his opposition defenders. After all, who hasn't wanted to belt the nearest citizen after a dispute with the missus over who hangs the washing out? Brett Kirk yesterday alluded to Barry's actions being of an unconscious, reflex nature; stating, "It's a reflex action that he doesn't even know he's done". Kirk also went on to classify Hall as a "good person....with a bad habit". Much like a regular person's "bad habit" might be smoking, or maybe chewing their fingernails, Hall's habitual problem is that of brutally disfiguring humans. It is all a bit creepy, a little bit too "Crime Investigation Australia". I am half expecting Steve Liebmann to offer a narrated response to Hall's unexplainable motives. Stopping centimetres short of labelling Hall a sadistiic tool, i sincerely hope that he can fulfil his brutal urges off the sporting field, so i can enjoy his prowess on the field. Not sure what that might entail.
Hence my confusion regarding sport these days. None of said articles give me any insight at all, rather presenting me with provocative headlines regarding individual players. Scouring the Herald today, i couldn't find one decent story about either code, sending my already convoluded mind into overdrive. What to constructively blog about re: sport? The answer is nothing.
-SportingMind
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Not sure what the deal is here, but i quoted a comment on my blog in regards to where a coach called the referee a "f...cheat", making sure that i used the *** keys for the swear word itself - yet Orble has classified my post as containing "mature content".
Firstly it was a quote, and secondly - i didn't even actually write the word itself. Obviously i didn't realise my humble sports blog could potentially ignite the vitriol of the Christian Right
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Another thrilling and controversial week in sport has just elapsed, with some dynamic performances in all sporting codes. So let's have a brief, superficial glance at what made headlines this weekend.
Firstly; the Swans vs Collingwod game. Never will i watch another Swans v Collingwood encounter at ANZ Stadium, as an underwhelming Swans team yet again fell victim to the "Collywobbles". Lacking any spark out of midfield, and struggling to close down on the small, yet elusive Collingwood forward line, it was the Swans forward line that deserved the most criticism, completely unable to make the most of goal opportunities
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The Manly Sea Eagles have found themselves on the defensive after it was revealed that the club has had a long history of using calf blood extract for the purposes of aiding injured players to recover more quickly. Calves blood extract, known as "Actovegin", is not listed as a banned product by the World Anti-Doping Agency, but questions have been raised about the moral and ethical practice of injecting the substance to gain an advantage.
SportingMind can't help but wonder if the players themselves have the option of refusing this treatment or if these questionable methods are imposed upon them without consent. It seems that footballers have access to the latest and most innovative advances in medical science, leaving the 'average Joe' to content themselves with a pack of over-the-counter Nurofen, or perhaps a tube of Denco-rub at best
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It was disappointing to see the Canberra Raiders unable to continue a recent winning streak tonight, instead crumbling in the hands of a Brett Kimmorley led Sharks outfit that are looking very promising for the finals series later this year.
As an unabashed Raiders fan, it was yet another lesson in getting your hopes up. It reminded me why, several years ago, i stopped going to watch the Raiders play - fearful that they would only let me down. Brett Kimmorley carved up the Raiders defence in what was a high scoring encounter, but a significant win for the Sharks away from home, and without Bird and Gallen
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Firstly SportingMind must confess to not watching one IOTA of sport this weekend, which certainly does not bode well for the remainder of this blog. So consumed i have been with the political turmoil that we, as Sydneysiders, have found ourselves embedded in, along with such sad stories circulating in the media this week - including the passing of Jane MacGrath, that for SportingMind - sport has taken a backseat to the realities of existence.
Crusing the SMH website, with sport very far down the scroll bar on this particular webpage, i was instead confronted with a barrage of nonsensical "headlines". For example, the leading headline for 11 a.m., Monday morning, is; "Kidman to listen to Hubby's songs whilst giving birth". While there is no doubting that the silky haired "Urbahn" (sic), who seamlessly altered his Germanic last name to the more commercially friendly Urban some years ago, does have his place in the U.S. Country music market, one can't help but wonder whether he is aiming to exploit yet another music niche - that being "Birth Music", music to give birth to. Just like Enya was once music to meditate to, perhaps maternity wards across the globe will begin to track-list Keith Urban as a way of inducing heavily dilating women, thus relieving cervixes across the globe. In fact its a shame that gravel voiced Barry White died a few years ago, because SportingMind would have proposed a joint tour - Barry White and Keith Urban touring together. Music to concieve to (White), and music to give birth to (Urban). Not sure who would fill the second act on the bill, but i'll go with Russell Crowe - in attempting an unconvincing segue back to sport in general. Although i am aware that his 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts band could unintentionally cause a miscarriage though its improper use of melody
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Much has been made in the media of whether Adam Goodes is a protected species, with his upcoming tribunal decision looming as "D-Day" for Goodes. Not since the demise of the Tasmanian Tiger has there been such a public outcry for support of one of our most endangered and symbolic mammals.
If Goodes is to serve a suspension for the most ineffectual, harmless and slightly embarassing attempt to bump off the opposing player last Saturday afternoon, then the AFL is treating the endangered Goodes with the same contempt that Rugby Union player Scott Fava of the Western Force showed towards the native "quokka" that he and fellow team-mates enjoyed passing around whilst inebriated at Rottnest Island late last year
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Comment by David Edwards
on Blocker Roach's Origin Outburst
Sporting Mind