Stop backing just one code and barrack for Australian sport
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday December 12, 2009
JUST what is going on in this great country and its preoccupation with sport? Negativity and cynicism seem to be controlling the agenda. Football, AFL, rugby league or union - whatever our football passion - it's time to get positive here and stop treating opportunity with suspicion ... especially when "your" code is not controlling the debate. It is interesting to note how "the whingeing Poms" have embraced the opportunity to stage the World Cup. In London, Tottenham Hotspurs chairman Daniel Levy has written to his shareholders urging them to write to Haringey Council to increase the chances of getting planning permission for a new 58,000-seat stadium, which he believes could be used as a host ground if England's 2018 World Cup bid is successful. What a shame the owners and controllers of our sporting stadiums don't take a leaf out of Mr Levy's book and see the opportunity here. Forget which code you support, this World Cup bid is for all Australians to get behind. Stop thinking that the glass is always half empty or we will become a sporting joke.Bob Harris, SawtellChampion in a suitMichael Cockerill's article on Frank Lowy and the work he has done for Australia's World Cup bid, not to mention football in general in Australia since he was appointed to the FFA ("To be Frank, there would be no World Cup bid without this man", December 4), makes me grateful that there does exist extremely talented and successful businesspeople who do not dominate the headlines the same way a Packer or Murdoch would, for reasons largely unimportant to most of us. At his age, most would be slowing down and enjoying their remaining years, but for Frank it seems that slowing down would reduce his enjoyment of life. The fact that he is working so hard to bring the World Cup to Australia in 2022 when he may not be alive to see it, is a testament to his character. And I don't even follow soccer (sorry, football) particularly closely. Unless Australia are involved.Damien Mullins, Fisher, ACTBollinger nails itDoug Bollinger upholds the great tradition of banality in sports news. It's always enlightening to hear that a cricket team hopes for "early wickets" or an "early breakthrough", in contrast to those days when they intend to go out and just bowl for a couple of hours while the other team make runs.Bruce Hanna, HeathcoteEnter Doug Bollinger; swearing, spitting, kicking the turf, arguing with the umpires and generally displaying boorish behaviour and poor sportsmanship. The very model of a modern Australian Test cricketer. Perhaps even captain material.Robert Campbell, East MaitlandMarvellous error, thatI just wish we could see cricket played by humans and umpired by humans and so enjoy the foibles and human errors that so enrich sport. Maybe Channel Nine and many kindred souls would be better off getting one of those computer games and then they won't have one little mistake to fret over. The current situation with the time-wasting multi-testing of umpires' decisions seems unbelievably stupid and still inaccurate to me and will just make umpiring at all levels less attractive to competent people.Terry Beath, Surry HillsBannerman unbeatenCongratulations to Chris Gayle for his fine century in the second Test but it is good to see that Charlie Bannerman's like score of 165 in the very first Test match in 1877 (at the MCG) remains the highest proportion of a completed innings in a Test (the totals were 317 and 245).Michael Whitehead, Ultimo
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
