Aussie Cricket Team

[allhailIndia]

I must mention here that I have nothing but admiration for the skill of Aussies on the field, but their behavior of it is disturbing. I must mention again that this is limited to one ot two who spoil the name of Aussie sports.

I mention here Ricky Ponting who has been made the captain of the Aussie cricket team. I am quite surprised his several scandals of the field, (notably getting drunk and misbehaving ), have been overlooked and worthy, decent people like Mark Waugh have been ignored!!

What so you Civfanatics feel about the behaviour of Athletes off the field, especially considering Mike Tyson and O.J.Simpson

 

[Ren]

I believe that what athletes do off the field is their business and nobody, not officials, not anyone, except maybe the police if needed, should interfere with their personal lives.

 

[ainwood]

Originally posted by ren
I believe that what athletes do off the field is their business and nobody, not officials, not anyone, except maybe the police if needed, should interfere with their personal lives.

I feel compelled to play the "Role Model" card.....

But on a more quantitave basis - its in the athletes own best interests. Fine - they can go and s***w around, they can get drunk etc, but if they become known for this behaviour, who in the advertising / sponsership world is going to want to use them for endorsements?

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Mark Waugh hardly has a blameless record himself, and they are looking for a long term proposition, rather than a 36 year old whose place in the team has been called into doubt by some ill informed idiots. Gilchrist was overlooked on account of they didn't want ot overwork him, but I view with horror and suspicion the mutterings that he will be moved down the order. What utter rot. Warne was an option, but he is no stranger to controversy.

And those two are basically your only candidates. You cannot trust a fast bowler to remember his name, let alone captain a country, and the other three team members are somewhat junior, and indeed intense and insular in the case of Justin Langer.

This is all due to the unnecessary, unjustified and criminal sacking of Steve Waugh, however, a move which WILL backfire upon the foolish selectors.

That is in answer to the discussion based upon the title.
As to the question tacked onto the end, I believe it is a sorry society that can only look up to sports players as role models, etc. I do not care what they do off the field, and do not want to hear about it, unless they misbehave criminally, in which case they should be shot
Now that would be an interesting notation on the team sheet for the next game:
Out: Smith (hamstring), Jones (knee), Brown (executed)

 

[VoodooAce]

Originally posted by ren
I believe that what athletes do off the field is their business and nobody, not officials, not anyone, except maybe the police if needed, should interfere with their personal lives.

I agree....to a point.

Nobody deserves to be hounded by popa....er, popp, er paparazi, er....a bunch of freakin' photograhpers. NObody deserves them camping out in front of their house, etc...

But, anybody moving into a professional sport knows the kind of attention they will be bringing onto themselves.

Same with movie and rock stars. That is one of the prices they have to pay for the fame and fortune.

When a guy signs on the dotted line, he signs up for the whole package. He knows that if he gets busted the next day for driving while hammered, its going to be all over the news.
.

 

[andycapp]

The normal rules of privacy do NOT (in general terms) apply to highly paid sports people for the simple reason that most (if not all) are being paid to promote or endorse products for sponsors and this requires that they generate as much publicity as possible.

An even more compelling reason is when they represent the nation in an international arena and are effectively ambassadors for their country.

For highly paid sportspeople to cry foul when the spotlight falls on them for misbehavior off the field is disingenious. A good example is Shane Warne taking $600,000 to promote nicotine patches (and give up smoking) and then crying foul when the media start snapping photos of him having a surreptitious smoke.

Don't get me wrong I think Fatboy (Shane Warne) is the best thing to happen to Cricket in years and I would love to have him in my team, but that wouldn't stop me from giving him a good kick up the bum for some of his off field stunts.

Mike Tyson is an example of how low and perverted a (so called) sport can become - his thuggery and bestial behavior in the ring is a side show compared to what he does outside it.

 

[Dinorius R.]

I'll be honest and admit up front my view that a lot of sportsMEN (not sure about the women) are essentially overpaid, over-worshipped thugs. Ricky Ponting did get drunk and misbehave, it's true. And I'm sure he's not the first or last one to do that. But all these misdemeanors are as nothing compared to the cricket fans in certain countries (we all know which ones) that throw BRICKS from the grandstands at the players. So before casting stones (literally or figuratively) at these guys remember what Joe Public is capable of too.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

On the topic of the Australian cricket team, it is interesting to consider what other sports there are where there is such a gap between the best and the rest.
Just listening to the final rites being delivered to South Africa on the third afternoon, with the Proteas 9/122 in their second innings. They will lose by about an innings and 360-370 runs, which is an almighty mother of all hidings. This is a team which can be compared to any other truly great team, in any sport.
Discuss or dispute.

 

[allhailIndia]

GILCHRIST RULES .
Let's hunt every damn Protea into extinction .
Ricky Ponting is a misbehaving, rude, drunk ass who needs to be shot

 

[Simon Darkshade]

I do think that is going a bit far. If we shot every young male who has got drunk and caused a little trouble, then the continuation of the species would be in jeopardy!

The Proteas are now officially extinct, out for 133, Australia won by an innings and 360 runs. MOM Gilchrist for the fastest double century in history.
Shaun Pollock, injured South African captain, announced that he would be committing ritual suicide to expunge the disgrace from his country, even though he did not play. Allan Donald was put to sleep by vetinary surgeons using a large shotgun, and Herschelle Gibbs was spotted wandering around asking journalists if they had a spare spliff he could bum.

 

[andycapp]

I must admit I don't get as much satisfaction from beating the Proteas as I do from beating those chaps from that foggy little island in the North Sea.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Which one? Lindisfarne? Iceland? Hoophoopdeyoop?

 

[Simon Darkshade]

The Greatest Sporting Team in the world strikes again, after winning the Test series. Up 4-0 with one tie after the first five matches of the seven match one day series, they cooly chase a world record 326 for victory, and achieve it in crushing and comprehensive style.
Is there a better sporting team in the world at the moment?

 

[God]

Well i don't whats going on with these guys rigt now but I Mark Waugh is one of my favorite players. After Saeed Anwar and Waqar Younis.
i really don't like Australia mainly becuase they are so good. Dammit, lose.

 

[ainwood]

Originally posted by Simon Darkshade
The Greatest Sporting Team in the world strikes again, after winning the Test series. Up 4-0 with one tie after the first five matches of the seven match one day series, they cooly chase a world record 326 for victory, and achieve it in crushing and comprehensive style.
Is there a better sporting team in the world at the moment?

But they didn't beat little-old New Zealand now, did they??

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Only because they were saved by the weather in the First and Second Tests, and by a lucrative deal with bookmakers in the Third Test. It is also important to note that they were only about 50 runs from victory in Perth, and were going for it all guns blazing until a few quick wickets fell.
Gilchrist almost did it again.
But that series result had far more to do with the vagaries of the weather than any accurate comparison of the two teams.

 

[allhailIndia]

All right !! Finally somebody has brought back cricket into these forums. Quick question to all cricket loving civfanatics.

Will Sachin Tendulkar score more runs than Brian Lara in India's tour of West Indies??

Also hats off to the Aussie team.

Damn I thought the Indian record of 316 would last longer

 

[Simon Darkshade]

The great Lara easily. Sachin won't be playing in front of home town umpires in the Caribbean, nor will he be facing Bangladesh

 

[ainwood]

Originally posted by Simon Darkshade
Only because they were saved by the weather in the First and Second Tests, and by a lucrative deal with bookmakers in the Third Test. It is also important to note that they were only about 50 runs from victory in Perth, and were going for it all guns blazing until a few quick wickets fell.
Gilchrist almost did it again.
But that series result had far more to do with the vagaries of the weather than any accurate comparison of the two teams.

Sounds like a whinging Aussie to me....

And the weather didn't come to your rescue in the one-day series, did it!

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Originally posted by ainwood


Sounds like a whinging Aussie to me....

And the weather didn't come to your rescue in the one-day series, did it!

Sounds like a sheep-fancying Kiwi clinging at whatever straws make their life tolerable to me ...

What one day series? It was simple a case of the team being on the take, and just missing the finals so they could go off and indulge in an orgy of true depravity at Warnie's secret villa.