The meat market reopens... part 3

The meat narket Re open



In my very first blogs some months ago I reported the meat market that was occurring in sport. Players such as Sonny Bill, Mark O’meley and Lote Tuqiri where negotiating contracts before the season had even started and looking at other clubs. O’meley in fact by round five had turned his back on the Bulldogs and signed with rival club the Sydney Rooster for 2008. Into round 14 of the Telstra premiership and there have been over ten player movements effective immediately that have taken place in the NRL.

Currently amongst NRL coaches and media personalities there is an argument occurring over rugby league becoming more like soccer with regards to players diving and faking injuries. It seems now that league is becoming more and more like soccer in another regard. Soccer for years has had players sign and change with clubs mid season every year since 1992. In the premier league competition if a player is unhappy with his club he simply asks for a transfer and come transfer window he is off at a rival club or applying his trade in another country. The word loyalty no longer exists in world soccer the only thing that you can guarantee is that a player will change clubs at a drop of a hat. Every year an Australian paper will review the upcoming premier league soccer country in England. Each year under player comings and goings there would be a list of fifteen players leaving and seventeen coming. When looking at these clubs and transfers it becomes easy to understand you’d be hard pressed to find a player that has played his hole career at one club. A fan of the world game I can only think of three players that have been loyal to the one club such as Ryan Giggs, Pablo Maldni and Paul Scoles.

It now seems that this fate is now reserved for the NRL with so many players changing clubs mid season. Clint Newton a Newcastle hero after walking out on the club because he was disillusioned with it was suiting up for the Melbourne Storm two weeks later. Jamie Soward and Josh Lewis two player makers at the Roosters un happy at there lack of opportunity in first grade this season both in succession left the club and both had debut for another NRL club a few days later. In Sowards case he had played an integral part in the Roosters Saturday night victory and then come Friday night was stirring the Dragons to a win over the Broncos.

The argument for this….

Many have noted that these transfers may be hard to swallow to the clubs supporters but for the football fans it allows them to watch quality footballers apply their trade. Many pointing to the fact that those that love the game can now see talented players like Soward and Lewis applying their trade in the top league. They also argue why should a player show loyalty to a club who at the end of the day will not only throw them aside once they’ve played beyond their used by date but not give them loyalty later in life either. As a fan of rugby league and respect talented players this argument does make me think twice about whether or not players should show loyalty to a club. Myself who has changed clubs a number of times in pursuit of trophies, better opportunities and more enjoyment can understand why players are hard to show some loyalty to clubs. What I’m interested to know is will there ever be a one club one player ever in the future in the NRL or how do we stop this trend????

The rage at my place... I mean myspace

Here is a link to my myspace page to get the real low down on this sports junkie and see me in all my glory with sporting sensations such as the new england patriots football team and wendell sailor

The Race Card

Nathan Merritt a South Sydney Football player and an aboriginal was recently not picked in the city country origin game. He has been the leading try scorer in the past two years and his defense has improved greatly this season under Coach Jason Taylor.

However once he was not picked into the side the media circled and asked the young football star his feelings on why he wasn’t picked in the city country squad. At first he was reluctant to answer the question, but then he stated it was his aboriginal background that prevented him from being picked in the representative squad.

Anthony Mundine the South Sydney Aboriginal officer and friend of Merritt came out and backed the star footballer’s claims. Believing that there could not be any other explanation to as why the young winger was not picked in the squad. Mundine then went on to state a recent press conference that he has been telling young and promising football players to apply their trade in Queensland because they aren’t racist up there giving aboriginals more of a chance.

So are the NSW selectors racist? Even though we are living in modern day society are we still racist?

Looking at the facts and claims one would have to say no that NSW selectors are racist. The two players that were picked over Merrit where of Pacific Islander decent while the other player is of Lebanese origin. So that dismisses that theory, next should young players go to Queensland to get a better chance of playing representative football. Once again the answer is no, Mundine only has to look at his nephew Matthew to see that the selectors are not racist. Matthew Mundine nephew of Anthony has been the NSW under 16 captain for the last two years so surely the selectors cant be racist.

For Anthony Mundine it has been along running feud with the NRL over his representative career in the NRL. Anthony Mundine has often claimed that during his playing career in the NRL he was not given his proper chance at playing representative honors. Just like in the case of Merritt, Mundine believes he was never picked because of his heritage. However the player that was often picked ahead of him during his career was Laurie Daley who is also Aboriginal.

The NRL has often been noted as one of the sports in Australia that have knocked down the racism barriers in this country. Currently in the NRL there is the highest participation rate of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islanders and Pacific Islanders playing. Merritt you should feel a little disappointed you weren’t picked in country city origin but race does not play apart in selection. Hazem El Marsi who was picked ahead of you was born in Lebanon and has been playing great football for a number of years and deserves his chance.

Show me the money…..

Gone are the days where professional athletes had to work to support themselves. Recently a Canterbury Bulldogs player who is currently injured for the season and yet to make his first grade debut has signed a contract with a rival club for reportedly two hundred thousand dollars a season. He is only twenty years old and will earn 600 hundred thousand dollars over the next three seasons, and yet he has not played first grade. Many years ago Parramatta Eels signed a 11 year old to a five year deal, he was meant to be the next big thing in league. He never made first grade and can be found applying his trade in the Jim Beam Cup for Seven Hills.

Recently Willie Mason called for the NRL to make the minimum wage for fringe players a lot higher. Currently in the NRL the minimum wage is around 45 thousand a season, in the NBL forty thousand and in the AFL it is around 80 thousand. In America, athletes in many different sports are paid millions and millions of dollars. LeBron James was paid 148 million dollars straight out of high school in the NBA to apply his trade.

In the world of soccer and the meat market that was written about in early postings players are sold and given millions of dollars to kick a ball. Chelsea over the last three years has spent over 300 million dollars in securing the best soccer talent around such as Michael Ballack, Ashley Cole and John Terry.

So do these athletes deserve these huge amounts of money? David Beckham recently signed 320 million dollar deal with a USA soccer club for five years. Beckham who was dropped from the English team and for many months was on the bench for Real Madrid worth 320 million dollars.

Many claim that money is the reason that sport has become as corrupt and as negative as it is in today’s world. Do athletes deserve these amounts of money? Teachers, police officers and doctors who provide a greater service to mankind will not receive this type of money in their life times so how do we justify athletes wages??

Why is it that in today’s world Tom Brady is able to earn millions and millions of dollars because he is able to throw a pig skin ball further and better then somebody else. More importantly should teenagers been paid huge amounts before they have played in the top leagues.

Many simply have to look at Mark Bosnich former Socceroos and Manchester United goal keeper was found taking cocaine. He blamed it on the huge amounts of time and money he had on his hands. He stated what was a person to do after buying the house, car television, just about everything a person could want do with all the money that he had. So should we limit the amount of money that these athletes are paid. Should we go back to the days when athletes had to be work another job to earn a living.

The Good, the bad, and the ugly nature of sport.

Sport like movies and a good drama are able to bring out every human emotion possible. The night the Socceroos played Uruguay in the World Cup Qualifier it had every Australians heart racing a million miles an hour. When Captain Mark Viduka missed his spot kick in the penalty shoot out, Australian hearts sunk but when John Aloisio scored that final penalty there was nothing but pure joy and excitement from Australians every where.

It is the amazing ability to bring out so many emotions in the human race that have led to many different faces and incidents in the sporting world. Having been involved in the sporting world since I was four years old I have been witnessed to many foul events and amazing events. Far from being the model good sport I witnessed on the weekend at two different fields and games good, the very bad and the ugly nature of sport. During the game that I was involved in one opposition player abused both his own team mates and mine. He verbally abused players during the course of the game for no apparent reason. Later on I attended a friend’s soccer game to witness a spectator who was over the age of 50 abusing a ground official. Although this spectators team was winning the man proceed to taunt and abuse a ground official threatening to take care of the gentlemen in the car pack. During the abuse tirade kids as young as four years old heard the colorful language this gentlemen let fly at the poor ground official.

So why does sport, which at the end of the day is just a GAME lead a man of his age and many others to this ugly monster?

What is it in the hearts and minds of so many Australian people that leads them into a doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde situation. What is it about sport that is able to bring the worst out of humans?

I wonder whether this phenomenon is only isolated to Australia or whether or not this Doctor Jekyll or Mr Hyde syndrome is a worldly occurrence. Currently in sporting magazines, television ads and during sporting events messages and ads are being run to encourage positive talk and behavior at sporting games. Why does sport have the ability to bring out so many good and bad emotions in human beings?

What drives parents to verbally abuse their children, other people’s kids? Is it winning at any cost what drives parents and people to do this? What is embedded in sporting culture that leads to such bad behavior. Is winning held in such a regard these days that it leads educated people to act like cavemen. Answering this question may be able to explain why so many athletes will take banned performance enhancing drugs. Using methods to enhance the chance of winning and the ideal of winning at all costs is not something new. In the very first days of the Olympics athletes in Ancient Greece used magic mushrooms and other methods to win. Has this ugly mentality and culture embedded in our make up?
If this mindset has been embedded into our system for a very long time how do we lose the ugly nature of winning at all costs and sport. What do governments, sporting bodies and ourselves must do to lose the ugly culture of sport??

should i stay or should i go now-part 2 of the sports meat market

The sporting meat market saga continues in the world of rugby league and union. Since my last blog the young super star Sonny Bill Williams agreed to terms with the Canterbury bulldogs for a five-year deal. However Tuqiri and O'meley the other players that I have mentioned are still looking for a deal. But who cares if these athletes are looking at other clubs it doesn’t hamper their performance...WRONG!!!!! 
Lote Tuqiri regarded as Australians most destructive back and try scorer has not crossed the line for the waratahs this season. Tuqiri has also been displaying the worst form of his career and has seen him lose control and verbally and physically abuse one of his own teammates. 

Sonny Bill on Friday explained that he looked forward to sleeping after all the headaches and sleep less nights he has had since contract talks began. 

"I haven't been sleeping too well the last couple of weeks. I've been getting headaches. I pretty much came to a decision [on Thursday night], just talking to my old man” Sonny Bill Williams said. 

As the Clashes famous song went-O'meley must decide whether or not he should stay or go now before the bulldogs season begins so that he is able to get his mind on football and the bulldogs...

It seems though that the NRL are more then happy to let the meat market saga continue so that will be it for me on this subject, but look forward to next weeks blog with the footy season starting this Friday and four days of football action as big kev would say im excited...

Friday night lights not so different...

Watching television the other day I was amazed at how similar this program was to my own schooling life. The show was set in America and the most popular guys in School were the “jocks” footballers. In this show each footballer was deemed the most popular guys in school and had only the prettiest and most popular girls in school as their girl friend. For a moment there I felt that they had captured my schools hole social status and world in one. Then it dawned on me and made me think about my schooling years with the jocks.

The school I attended which was a rugby league crazed school had many talented teenagers in rugby league attend our school. Many are currently starring in the NRL and others are still trying to break into the league. At school they were kings they where worshipped by many. All the guys wanted to be an A grader and all the girls wanted to be with an A grader. Because these teenagers where exceptional athletes they experienced many comforts that others did not get-to say the least they where given star treatment. When the football team got training bags, socks, shirts, jerseys and singlet etc the other sporting teams like soccer would get none. The best way to describe my school was like the movie Friday night lights with Billy Bob Thorton in it. If a footballer did something wrong it wasn’t a major deal however if you weren’t on the football team you’d be in a lot of trouble. Back then I thought that maybe it was only reserved for our school and that once we where all in the real world they wouldn’t get away with it so easy.

Yet fast forward into the real world and nothing has changed and it seems that it applies all over the world. Having known how footballers where treated like at school it comes as no surprise why so many act the way they do with loads of money and fame. It seems that this culture that exists amongst footballers could easily be stemmed if intervention occurred amongst players at the roots level. It explains why so many believe that they are above the law and society. I wonder if this culture of scandals would occur had the footballers been treated the same way as the soccer team or the netball team.

I wonder what is in the human mind that makes us worship the football team of our local high school and put them on a pedal stool all over the world???

Illustrated Men

In days gone by, tattoos, tough men stickers were reserved for bickers, rock stars and prisoners. However in today’s society a new trend has emerged and one and seven people have a marking on their skins.

In today’s modern world celebrities, sportsmen right through to every day people have caught on to the trend and have gone under the needle for some reason. David Beckham England’s soccer captain and viewed almost as English royalty has a sleeve tattoo, with his neck and back all sporting various artworks and meanings.

Nicole Ritche, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears the Hollywood “it” girls have one or more tattoos on their bodies. Most sporting stars currently have more then one tattoo whether they are native tribal bands to religious artworks. Even the blue Wiggle has tattoos on his arms.

So what has happened to the days when only rock stars, prisoners and bikie members were only allowed to get tattoos??

What has changed in the thinking of everyday people to spend money to feel pain??

Is it because tattoo parlors are now clean and safe environments compared to what they once were? Is it that society want to be deep down underneath their ties and business suits want a be tough men with their tough men stickers? Has society thinking changed greatly from the eighties and nineties to accept tattoos as the common norm?

Having spent a bit of time in tattoo parlous around Sydney either supporting my friends or deciding what my next artwork would be I have been amazed at the people I see coming in or out of these parlous.

On one occasion I saw an elderly lady have a paw print tattooed on her back due to some connection with her former husband, a sixteen year old girl have a star tattooed on her foot with her mum by her side, I have seen a group of soldiers on leave all have their blood types tattooed on their arms and some very dark artworks of skeletons and killings on their arms.

My friends and I included all have various artworks and designs engraved on us some which are good and others not so good. From birthdates in roman numerals, to last names, Jesus on the cross or the southern cross or Ta Moloko or Islander tribal tattoos.

Is it because our sporting hero’s like Benji Marshall or Sonny Bill Williams have tattoos, or Lohan or Beckham that have tattoos have become a common thing amongst today’s society?