Here’s the plan. We take a bunch of teenage lads. We pay them tens of thousands of pounds a week, tell them how wonderful they are and have 40,000 fans chant their names at football matches each week.
We eagerly follow their testosterone and cash-fuelled antics as they do the sorts of things lads in their late teens and twenties across the country do: get drunk, cop off and all the rest of it.
We happily encourage young women to see them as a meal ticket that’ll at the very least show the ladies a good time and perhaps launch a modelling career or make a tidy packet in the sort of kiss-and-tell memoir we’ll eagerly devour in our Sunday papers.
And, when one of the wealthy young men strays from his wife, we’ll castigate him, demand he’s sacked as England captain, complain bitterly that he should be a role model for our young people; should resist temptation. If he doesn’t, it’s entirely his failure, not ours.
Yes, I think that reflects well on all of us.
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8 Comments
Of course in genera; you’re right yet there was professional misconduct also in Terry’s case http://theoriginalwinger.com/2010-02-04-rent-john-terrys-box-at-wembley
Yep and for those reasons and other I wont attack him. I also think that famous people are not our role models, they simply cant be http://bracknellblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/does-being-famous-equal-role-model.html
I couldn’t give a toss about football and will be avoiding the world cup like the plague but it has been difficult to avoid this particular story over the past week.
This young man was entrusted with a position of leadership of a national sports team. When he behaves like a first class prat by indulging in a relationship with another squad member’s girlfriend (I’m unclear as to when she became his ex-girlfriend) – do you call that leadership? I don’t. First rate decision by the manager to drop him from the captaincy and an object lesson in taking decisive action to managers in many work fields.
Another point – let’s stop calling these over-paid prima donnas professional sportsmen. They are not. If they were they would not be taking the risks with their health through drinking etc that many of them seem to do. Professional sportsmen? Professional layabouts is more like it.
“This young man was entrusted with a position of leadership of a national sports team. ”
Finish the sentence with “leadership”, and remove the word “young”, then this statement could apply to Edward VII, George IV, the Duke of Windsor, Princess Margaret; indeed, most leading Royals throughout the ages.
Are they, too, “role models” for young people? Or is it only the working-class who have to adjust their lives to fill this ill-defined role?
Is Cameron proposing to fix “brokenness” among his fellow toffs, I wonder? Some chance!
“Finish the sentence with “leadership”, and remove the word “young”, then this statement could apply to Edward VII, George IV, the Duke of Windsor, Princess Margaret; indeed, most leading Royals throughout the ages
Are they, too, “role models” for young people? Or is it only the working-class who have to adjust their lives to fill this ill-defined role?.”
I’m quite happy to take your point. But then – I’m a republican and have no time for elected monarchs and their hangers-on. A prat is a prat – irrespective of whether they are working class or are what we used to call a ‘Hooray Henry’.
I understand Mr Terry is from a working class background – I wouldn’t dream of holding that against him. I’m guessing he may have got into these difficulties through in not having received appropriate mentoring when his football talents – if those are what he possesses – I’m not qualified to judge – brought him more money and celebrity status than – from his behaviour as described in the media – he appears to be able to handle.
Yes, it’s all society’s fault. As nothing but a subject of society, a nameless cog in the wheel, I am personally ashamed that John Terry slept with his mate’s girlfriend.
I’ll be writing to both parties to apologise.
Agree with the article, I think its also worth mentioning that John Terry made the classic mistake of trying to gag the media with his ‘super-injunction’. I suspect that this has more to do with the media hysteria. Big mistake!
Lets see if we can find some more tall poppies…
Exclusive to LDV, that conversation between Capello and Franco Baldini:
“So Franco, JT’s been having an extra marital?”
“So it would seem.”
“Okay, big deal. Half my squad nail anything that moves. No one minded when loveable Cashley Cole cheated on national treasure Cheryl. No one even minded when he interrupted their love making to be sick from drink.”
“One problem Boss. He was having it away with Bridge’s ex. Weeks after they split.”
“Oh. What does Bridgey think?”
“He’s pretty upset. Said it’s bashed his male pride. And if there’s one thing us cartoon stereotype Italian’s understand, it’s testosterone fuelled male pride.”
“What do the team say?”
“That they’ve lost a lot of respect for JT because of this. They love him but are standing by Bridgey.”
” ‘ee az to go!”