Sportsmen have no duty to entertain, only to give their all

Other / Paul Moon / 26 February 2008 / Leave a Comment

Pablo Luna - Moonlighting for Betfair. Pablo discusses whether top sportsmen have a duty to put on a show or whether giving 100% and winning in itself equates to putting on a show

Do Sportsmen have a responsibility to entertain? Do they have a duty to put on a show for the paying public, the sponsors and TV audiences? Whilst the paying public are sacred and should never be taken for granted the literal and honest answer is NO! Apart from Newcastle United fans, the supporters crave primarily a successful team, rather than a team of clowns or prancing circus ponies!

Sport is now a serious business within a billion-pound industry. Entertainment in its truest form has to take second place. The pressure to succeed is enormous with fortunes, livelihoods and reputations at stake.

I do think Sportsmen have a duty to do their best at all times for their fans, clubs and country. If and when they do that, they consequently and inevitably entertain and promote their sport. I am less concerned with Sponsors and TV because they only attach themselves to something of value to them, if the sport had no value then they would find another host to feed on (Betfair excluded).

I think it is a myth that English TV audiences demand instant gratification 'a la American' style. When England play at cricket, football or rugby, real supporters want the players do try their hardest and demonstrate pride rather than look pretty, entertain and lose! Personally I do not consider it negative to stop the other side from playing or winning. Defence and attack are two halves of the whole. This is 21st century sport.

A winning mentality combines strength of mind with skill, wisdom, professionalism, preparation and performance and should be regarded above crowd-pleasing short termism, flair or one off cameos. It is this type of Tim Henman attitude that holds this country back from competing with the rest of the world and winning cups. Regrettably there are a considerable section of the British paying public who are 'sporting ignorant' and love a loser but if we transposed the Henman DNA into our sports (as opposed to a Nick Faldo DNA) we would become more of a joke than we are at present.

Being an Englishman living in Wales, I am often ribbed about England's 'robotic rugby style'. I try and remind them that we got to the final of the Rugby World Cup and nearly won. They respond and say that Wales could never play boring rugby, it would not be tolerated in the valleys. These conversations were mostly pre Warren Gatland and I note that they are now playing more conservative but more effective rugby and subsequently winning!

Ronnie O'Sullivan unfairly criticised Mark Selby (his conqueror) at the Welsh Open recently for his negative tactics. What did Ronnie expect Mark to do, take him on in a head to head potting match? That would have been insanity on Mark's part. In any case it makes for a better-quality match for those who think about the game. I loved watching the contrasting styles of Steve 'Boring' Davis against Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins or Steve 'Baize Master' Hendry against Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White, those matches made compulsive viewing thus entertaining the true aficionado.

Jose Mourinho, himself the ultimate entertainer, was relieved of his duties because his sides won without flair. What a massive mistake! Can someone explain Chelsea's abject performance and team selection at Wembley last Sunday in the Carling Cup Final? Jose would not have lost that match by experimenting and accommodating players in a Final. So much for Avram Grant improving the style and approach of Chelsea play. Does anyone really believe that?

We have Kevin Pietersen who has flair and talent in abundance but not the intelligence to grind down and then beat the opposition, how many games for England has he won so far? Though his conversion of fifties to hundreds looks good he has so much more to offer and has the ability to be an all-time great! He needs to chat to a Geoffrey Boycott or a Nick Faldo about the 'winning mentality'. I would prefer him to lose some of his entertainment value and replace it with Australian hard-edged determination! English cricket would be better for it and the sponsors and television cameras would still be there to polish his ego.

I was interested in seeing Alex Ferguson's condemnation of Nani showing his ball juggling skills against Arsenal. Brazil is no different these days, if you want proof have a look at these links below showing their attitudes towards show boating, you might be surprised:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hASxuffYIBo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjOWeKsLqSs

http://www.kerlononline.co.uk/

Do you approve of Kerlon Moura Souza? Is he a football genius or is he a clown jester?

The line between success and failure is so thin now that hard core pragmatism and percentages have replaced flamboyance. I know there are those who mourn this but I actually enjoy the intensity and passion and love to see great Sportsmen who have the capacity to rise above it...