New Zealand Young People need to see their Role Models
The recent achievement of the Black Ferns to win the Women’s World Cup was remarkable. It also involved considerable foresight to involve two of the world’s greatest rugby coaches in Wayne Smith and Sir Graham Henry. I have spoken to a number of people who were at Eden Park for the final and they were simply glowing in praise about the achievement and the event.
When I was a child in our great country the sporting heroes were very accessible. For a cricket test I would look forward to the 4 – 6pm session on free to air TV. For first class cricket I would be an avid listener to the full commentary on our radios. I used to make sure I got kicked out of classes so I could sit in the hall and listen to matches on a discrete radio. All rugby and netball tests were available live for all families. I remember visiting a girlfriend in 1982 and being press-ganged into docking the lambs. Her father glared at me as he put docking rings on a place I did not expect – but I was more concerned with missing the test kick-off. Hewson vs Gould.
I had been a sports fan from the age of eight in 1974 when Ali defeated Foreman. I became an All Blacks fan in 1975 when Sir Bee Gee scored two remarkable tries in the “water polo” test. As a human being he is still one of my role models. In 1976 I fell in love with athletics through John Walker’s gold medal and the incredible performances of Dick Quax and Rod Dixon. I then admired the remarkable running achievements of Anne Audain, Lorraine Moller and Allison Roe. Rod Dixon, now a good personal friend, complemented the outstanding performance of those women by winning the New York marathon in remarkable style in 1983. In 1984 I wagged a full two weeks of school to watch Coutts, Kendall, Fergusson, MacDonald, Todd (and Charisma), become national heroes at the Los Angeles Olympics. In 1985 Hadlee’s 9 for 52 against Australia was incredible. Equally in 1990, with a great range of stars, the Auckland Commonwealth Games elevated the nation.
I was really stunned a few years back when, at one of the schools I was associated with, we brought the great Kevin Mealamu in to visit and speak with our Year 7 to 10 children. He had only been out of the game for eighteen months, had played 132 matched for the country and won two world cups. Very, very few of the children knew who he was. I think this is something that would have greatly concerned the late, great, Sir Murray Halberg
I have just watched Lionel Messi take Argentina to this year’s World Cup final. Inspiring.
I do not often agree with Willie Jackson. Like the rest of the Labour caucus Jackson has been appalling on education. But, like a broken clock, he is right twice a day. Our New Zealand stories need to be told. Our great sporting fixtures need to be free to air. Apart from any young people privileged to be at Eden Park for the women’s final (and I have heard of teachers taking van loads) I would imaging very few young kiwis would have seen the event. That is a huge shame. The final was on Spark Sport which costs approximately $25 per month. For a broader range of sports Sky costs $40 per month. Neither sounds like a huge amount but it is a barrier and kids with phones are very unlikely to dial in.
If I was walking down the street, even as a huge sports fan, I do not believe I would recognise a significant number of our country’s top sports people – maybe none of the Black Ferns. I don’t have Spark Sport and had run out of e-mail addresses for a 7-day trial.
The TVNZ/RNZ merger may be an appalling idea. If it is and is to be dumped government, media and the sporting bodies need to work out a way to get our sportspeople and artists in the sight and minds of our young people. It may well keep some of our youth away from bad pathways and into a highly aspirational and productive future. I consider that I owe a great deal to my role models.