Is it the sports that have turned bad or are we becoming bad sports? Most of our sportsmen and women are the exemplary role models we would hope for our children to look up to. However, increasingly there are scenes on our televisions and stories in the press of behaviour that is less than ideal. Football players fighting and arguing on the pitch and swearing if a decision isn’t one they like. Cricketers claiming catches that they didn’t actually make and then being shown up later in the game. Cycling and horseracing are continually under scrutiny. Drugs cheats being allowed to compete again at any level and then fighting to go to the Olympics again. Even being given captaincy honours for their country after being suspended for drugs.
It is becoming something that we all expect and accept and I’m not sure that I’m happy with that. In an ideal world all players will be honest and sporting and own up when they have bent the rules and all officials will be unbiased and unable to be influenced. All athletes would only use hard work to achieve their goal without resorting to drugs. Sadly we don’t live in an ideal world and it’s making competitive sport a bit of a non-event.
As a result the other thing that is taking over is the “extra official” this new need for a play back of incidents on the field to decide if the umpire or referee is right in their decision. More and more sports are introducing electronic umpires and using TV to clear up tricky decisions but is this policy best? Does it just invite players to question the officials? In slower moving games such as cricket and tennis it seems to work well where the pause naturally occurs in the game and the footage can be checked immediately and an outcome given. It could also be argued that it might be useful for settling all the dubious offside calls or missed calls that seem to happen in every football match of the season. It does become intrusive though and affects the flow of the game. Critics will argue what is the point of having officials on the pitch or court if a TV screen then gives the decision? I would agree, the officials are there to oversee the game and the players must agree to trust their judgement on all points throughout the match. Some will go your way and others won’t.
The problems arise when human integrity breaks down and greed plays a part. Big money bonuses for players who score, teams that win and the sack for those who under perform don’t add up to a neutral playing field of “May the best man/woman/team win”. It invites dishonesty; it encourages being a bit cheeky to see what you can get away with. At the very top of the scale it lends it’s hand to match/race fixing and outright cheating and where is the fun in that?
In this world where so much rides on winning should we allow it to be at any cost? High profile sportspeople and officials should have the utmost integrity and most of them do, but the others are ruining things for everyone. The fact that the wrong decision can then be proven a few minutes later with a TV re-play just adds fuel to the fire. We need things to be uniform so we know what the rules are. If in doubt watch a re-run, every time so that it can’t be disputed later or the officials’ decision is final, in all cases at all times, accept it and move on – including the pundits.
As a mother of two small children we are continually trying to teach our youngsters that the fun is in the taking part and that winning isn’t everything. But with the money stakes so high these days and talks of even more “Super Leagues” in sports like cricket where the winners take all, how can we promote fair play and gentlemanly behaviour? The sports themselves seem to be encouraging the bad behaviour, because losing just isn’t an option. Losing means no money and possibly not getting another chance to earn any more. What will happen to all the fun?
What I want is to see players owning up, accepting decisions and referees and umpires asking for another opinion when they really aren’t sure and an important result is riding on the outcome. Test for drugs regularly as a matter of course especially leading up to and during a major event and anyone who isn’t happy with that shouldn’t be participating – end of discussion. Play fair or don’t play at all.
Sometimes people get it wrong and they make mistakes and sometimes people cheat. Either we govern all aspects of sport in a similar fashion to make sure that the cheats never prosper. Or we take a long hard look at the way sport is going take away or even out some of the money aspect and therefore the temptation and bring back the fun.
Sportsmen and women are role models for our children and I don’t want mine to see highly paid men fighting and swearing and then getting their way. I don’t want them to think that it’s OK to take drugs to be better because all the others do. I want a clear message, that this is unacceptable, behave appropriately. If you cheat you lose and if you take drugs you never take part again.
Enough is enough I say! Don’t be a “Bad Sport” sometimes the other man/woman/team is better, so stop whinging. Have some respect for the game, the other participants, the officials, yourselves and more importantly the spectators.
As summer draws nearer the majority of people want to spend more time outside. Children at school long for the summer holidays to start and people in offices yearn for weekend gardening or barbeques. When the weather starts to get warmer there is often a desire to take up new outdoor activities and sports. Some like to go cycling or to go on long walks. Others decide to join a local sports club or team. Rugby may have its origins in several football games which were played during the 19th century; these sorts of games had been enjoyed by generations, and were generally specific to certain areas or schools. In the middle of the 19th century the rules of rugby football were officially formulated, and the Rugby Football Union was then started in 1871. Over time, rugby has become less of an amateur game (although it is enjoyed by hundreds of young people and adults alike!) and there are now professional players.A lot of people will be looking to start up a new sport this year, and rugby appeals to large numbers of youngsters. Finding a local team shouldn’t prove too difficult in most places, and these clubs should have the necessarily rugby training equipment to help new comers to the game develop their skills. There are a number of high street and online stores which sell rugby training equipment. As in a lot of circumstances, sometimes the best deals are to be found on the internet, but buyers should ensure they use a reputable site when purchasing rugby training equipment online.For others, interest in rugby does not include a desire to actually participate in the sport. A lot of the game’s followers prefer to watch rugby matches from the comfort of their own front room, and games are frequently broadcast on sports channels. People who only ever watch the game on television may well feel they are missing out on something, and this is often the case; although watching rugby on the TV can be exciting, it cannot rival the atmosphere of attending a match. Being part of such a number of people, all sharing the same enthusiasm can be n exhilarating experience. Plus likeminded people are often more willing to talk about the game for long periods of time than those who are not at all interested!Human beings have been participating in competitive sports for thousands of years, these activities serving to help unite groups, keep fit and strong and to improve necessary survival skills. Although the majority of modern societies no longer need to hunt for survival, some aspects of sport have kept them going throughout the centuries. One of these factors is the camaraderie felt between sporting teams and between fans. Another is physical fitness. Over recent years increasingly sedentary lifestyles and poor quality diets have led to an increasingly overweight population. At this time, more people taking up sports and other activities is very important for their health and longevity. Encouraging younger people to take part is also vital.
Well the new Stade Francais’s rugby kit is causing a stir! Made by Adidas, it is covered in repeat block colour images of Blanche de Castille, France’s thirteenth century ruler, complete with crown. The design is clearly reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe prints. Personally I quite like it, not sure it’ll look quite the same filled with a large French rugby player, but as a garment it works. The colours and design are strong and eye-catching. The contrast darker sleeves and side panels help to counteract the bright colour blocks and slim the figure and tone down the overall appearance of the garment so that it isn’t quite so garish. It certainly opens up a whole new area of sportswear design for those of us who have had the task of trying to come up with a new way of introducing team colours in various panels, piping and trims.
Whereas before garments have been limited by where seams can be put for comfort, strength and cost, the placement of colours was also limited to these areas as fabrics are still generally supplied in single colours. The application of images and multi-coloured prints to sports clothing could completely change the way we do things. The advancement of sports fabrics has played a big part, new fabrics can be coloured and printed in ways which wouldn’t have worked so well in the past. This means that as new cheaper methods of printing are developed that allow for smaller runs of fabric, the way we think about sportswear design has also changed. More items are using printed fabrics within their design to try to give their product the edge. Gilbert for example use camouflage prints on their rugby protective gear. It still isn’t as financially viable for most team-wear as printed fabrics will still be more expensive and minimum quantities will be higher to make print runs worthwhile. But the concept is out-there now and more is sure to follow.
I like that the designer thought outside the box and I really like that Stade Francais were brave enough to go with it. It is so automatic to keep trying to come up with a variation on a theme, thinking in a completely new direction is rare. Although the design itself is reminiscent of earlier designs by Warhol, the use of that style of pattern in this context is radical and it has started debates on various websites. The fact that people are discussing the design of a new rugby kit is a great thing. Normally a kit would be launched and accepted without much notice being taken. Some fans will automatically buy a new kit whenever it is launched, others will buy them less frequently. This new kit will certainly test the loyalty of the team’s following! Will they sell many to supporters? I don’t know, quite possibly the typical rugby crowd won’t be keen on having a bright pink queen (quite literally) on their front. Then again the design may appeal to a whole new audience. Certainly some might be more keen to wear this one as it certainly makes a statement, not only about which team you support but about the kind of personality you are – bold, outgoing, flamboyant.
Stade Francais often seem to get noticed for their kits, their pink one started an influx of other pink rugby and sports clothing. Brands such as Kooga have used pink for their polo shirts and rugby match shirts. So will this new design have us all following the trend? I can’t wait to find out. Will I be rushing out to buy one? No, I’m British! But if they make us one with our Queen on it instead or the faces of the England squad then, yes I’d wear one – would you join me?
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