This week six footballers from the south coast were arrested in connection to an alleged sexual assault. I think it is important now to stress that those arrested so far (with one already eliminated from the case) have done so merely to assist police inquiries and that no charges have yet been brought against any of them. As the saying goes, they are innocent until proven guilty. However, the news has once again brought the national game into the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Although not Premier League footballers, the news still causes the public to further tarnish footballer’s reputations, considering them to be greedy, arrogant individuals who believe they can do what they want, when they want. In the past, Ashley Cole and John Terry in particular have faced the public wrath for their attitudes to everyday life, but they are not alone. This season, Titus Bramble and Barry Bannan have also demonstrated complete idiocy with some of their actions; Bramble in a sexual assault case, Bannan for drink-driving. Now you can argue that there are other members of the public that are also being charged for such crimes every day, and that is true. However, these individuals are not ‘normal’ members of society. They are a privileged group and are fully aware how their occupation puts them fully within the public eye. Therefore, they need to act like the role models that they are expected to be.
This is not to say that it is solely footballers who bring their sport into disrepute. Boxers, cricketers, and recently at the World Cup in New Zealand, rugby union players have also brought shame upon themselves. Understandably, these athletes still want to, and are entitled to enjoy themselves, but once you have achieved ‘celebrity status’, you need to be a lot more wary and utilise common sense to ensure that no consequences come of it. When you are in the public eye, all your actions are scrutinised and you are expected to act morally right throughout. The public sees these people as privileged individuals who should be proud and grateful of the opportunities their talents have blessed them with. Sport is a passionate sector of society, with individuals affiliating themselves to teams and supporting their country vehemently. This feverish support generally leads to fans only wanting one thing from those who are associated with their team, and that is to represent the club appropriately both on, and off, the field. When this does not happen, the anger starts to emerge because those supporters would give anything to have the talent and opportunity to play for their team or country; to them it would be an honour rather than an employment.
But is it fair that these sportspeople are hung out to dry by the media and the public when some of the acts they are castigated for are merely mistakes any one of us could make during our lifetimes? To me, it is when despicable and unforgivable acts, which put other people’s lives in danger, need to be scrutinised, of which sexual assault and drink-driving fall under this category without a shadow of a doubt. These events are regularly brought up in the media even with regular members of society, so those with celebrity status can have no complaints when they too are named and shamed. What perplexes many I think is how these athletes can justify such stupid decisions when they are paid such large sums of money and there are alternative options for them. For example, Bannan, who did not even hold a full drivers licence, could have comfortably paid for a taxi to take him home, instead of jumping into his expensive car and subsequently ploughing it into the central reservation of a motorway. You just think, why? Lee Hughes has proven that a drunk footballer behind the wheel can lead to the most catastrophic events. Bannan was fortunate not to also experience such a disastrous situation.
Athletes need to comprehend that even though they are talented, they are not indestructible. They also need to adopt some common sense. With their position, becomes responsibility, and their celebrity status turns them into role models, no matter what competition they are competing in, as there are always children (and some adults) around who will idolise them. With this admiration comes replication, they want to play like their hero when they are participating in sport themselves, and they will follow their icon’s lives, believing all that they do is right. It is a harsh predicament for athletes, but if they perceive it as a negative, then it is one of the few they have in their line of work. However, in order to educate children correctly, it is imperative that these high-profile sportspeople are treated exactly the same as other members of the public, and if this means they perform acts worthy of jail sentences then that must be the case. Being in a privileged position does not permit them to receiving advantageous treatment. Drink-driving and sexual assault are unacceptable forms of behaviour and athletes should be aware that they are going to face the wrath of the courts if needs be. I do hope these young players currently connected to the sexual assault case are innocent because otherwise they could have ruined their careers before they have even begun. Their clubs should punish them just as severely as the courts if they are guilty, and if that does happens, it will be interesting to see if other clubs are willing to take a chance on these young players who would be judged in having personality issues that affects their ability to act as a true professional. The life of a professional sportsman is a luxurious one, and one does hope that the number of incidents that are appearing in the media soon begins to dwindle as it is rapidly bring shame upon English sport.
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