Now that the
Games have run their course, and Britain and LOCOG receive deserved global
praise for the fortnight’s success both logistically and in terms of the
athletes’ merits, one major talking point is that all important Olympic Legacy.
People have already
begun to urge David Cameron to make school sport compulsory for every child, to
forget budget cuts and instead start funding schools with the necessary
equipment and a strict sporting curriculum to produce a continuous injection of
future Olympic champions. With Olympic spirits still high, I urge the
Government to take action and spend taxpayers’ money in a way that will be
universally supported.
This is
effectively what Lord Coe means by an Olympic Legacy. It is important that the
national furor created by our 29 gold medals remains high, and that those young
people inspired by our athletes’ success act upon their urges and get involved
in sport in any way possible. Sporting participation amongst young people will ultimately measure the overall success of London 2012.
But there is
another way in which we can look at the term ‘Olympic Legacy’. One which is unconnected
with the future of British sport, but rather something that hammers home a
collective realisation – footballers have a lot to learn.
It is inevitable
that, as what many are calling the most successful Olympic Games in history
comes to an end and the UK returns to a state of relative normality, people
will greet the upcoming football season in a slightly more reserved manner than
usual. Although slightly unfair to single out football as an anomaly, its high
profile in the sporting world makes it a necessary focus point.
If we weren’t
already aware, the Games have confirmed to us as a nation the sheer
professionalism of the athletes involved. It’s one thing being a professional
athlete, it’s another conducting yourself like one. Regardless of his or her
chosen sport or game, each athlete is a professional in his or her own right.
No one is doubting anyone’s ability, but professional demeanour has become a hotly
debated topic.
When comparing
athletes, it is important not to fall into the trap of comparing the sports
themselves, for that would not be fair. Some people would say Kristian Thomas
is a better sportsman than Didier Drogba, because of the difficulty of his
chosen skill, but would Thomas be able to slot the winning penalty in the
Champions League final? You can’t compare the two sports.
We can, however,
compare the manner in which Olympic athletes and footballers conduct themselves
when representing their club or country. Although it’s almost become an old
adage to say that footballers are effectively overpaid thugs, there’s still no
harm in repeating it now. No, I won’t go that far, but watching the magic of
the Olympics unfold made it hard to be complimentary of modern day footballers.
You only have to
listen to the athletes being interviewed to realise that they are on another
level of professionalism to footballers. Triumph or fail, they were happy to smile
and share a conversation with the BBC. It wasn’t so much what they said, for
some of the time there was frustration present after a poor performance, but
somehow each athlete managed a lengthy chat and a smile. I realise that
footballers are faced with pre-match and post-match interviews every Saturday, 9 months out of a year, and we cannot expect a lengthy chat every time, but it was heart warming to see Greg Rutherford bursting with a
combination of disbelief and adrenaline, not wanting his one chance of an
interview to end. He smiled, thanked everyone he could, and seemed to
thoroughly enjoy the whole experience. There was something very humbling about
that.
I think it’s
important not to bring money into all this. It’s an ancient debate now whether
football should be so lucrative for it’s professionals, and the conclusion is
no it shouldn’t, but it’s not their fault. Let’s leave it at that.
Another way in
which we can compare the conduct of our country’s professional athletes is by
analysing the perceived face of each sport. By this I refer to athletes being
“the face” of their particular sport, club or country. This sometimes comes
with the job of being a captain, but in the case of the Olympics, Jessica Ennis
was chosen as “the face” of GB’s London 2012 campaign. Even before becoming the
Olympic heptathlon champion, every Brit agreed that she was the right choice.
She has always embodied everything that is required to represent one’s country
on the Olympic stage; talent, determination and modesty. The epitome of
professionalism. She was a national hero before she even set foot in the
Olympic stadium.
When one is trusted
with the honour of representing one’s country, especially as the ultimate face
of the sport, there is a certain obligation to fulfill a protocol which will
reflect well on one’s country, and a sense of dignity to maintain personal pride.
What is evident from the last 8 months of sport in this country is that some
professionals take this on board wholeheartedly, while others seem to find it
difficult.
John Terry’s behaviour
over the last year is a fitting example of how not to behave when granted the
responsibility of leading your club and country. Such a position should be
cherished, and while football obviously means a lot to Terry, his actions have
suggested that he needs to learn to place equal value on representing his club and country . Although Terry’s alleged racial outburst did not occur on an
international footballing stage, the Chelsea captain tarnished both his
country’s and his own reputation by acting in such a disgraceful manner towards
an opposition player. It is not an issue of what was said, or why, but more one
which leads us to ask how a captain of his country could possibly behave in
such a way.
Admittedly,
Jessica Ennis’ heptathlon wasn’t fuelled with the testosterone and male egos of
a Premier League game, but even so, the manner in which she conducted herself
from the start until the finish of the Games was an example of how to represent one's country and how to react to the expectation and pressure inevitably placed
upon her.
However, we must not hold John Terry responsible for all the poor conduct displayed within football
today, but what is noticeable is how the sport as a whole seems to have been
rather shown up by the spirit of the Games, and the athlete’s who made it. Football
is what it is, it’s the people’s game, and I’m sure it always will be. It’s had an
undoubtedly positive effect on people across the world, but what it needs is
the role models to match. Football is not alone however, many other sports
will now come under scrutiny in terms of the performance and behaviour of their
ambassadors following our country’s Olympic success.
Players and fans
alike will now be under the spotlight more than ever, with critics ready to
pounce. But it is important that we do not use Olympic success as an excuse to target
football and it’s players, but rather use the collectively tremendous performances
from the Games’ organisers, athletes and fans as a benchmark as to how professional
sport in this country should be carried out.
