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Wednesday, October 07, 2009

And we call this sport?



Sport? Really? What are we teaching our children?

And we are about to waste millions of taxpayers wedge in the name of the national game.

After seeing the nationally endorsed thuggery that takes place each weekend on our playing fields in the name of sport, I do wonder what our children are taking in.

  • Parents shouting the odds from the sideline
  • Smashed 'em bro a regular high ratings feature
  • Players regularly beating each other to a pulp and inflicting horrific injuries
  • War dances for everything and anything from funerals to sport


Need I go on? Hell, even that girly game netball is a contact sport these days.

Time to get real NZ.

5 comments:

ZenTiger said...

Geez, first Home Paddock going on about Boxing, and now you about Boxing, Rugby and week-end sports.

What the heck is in the water?

My kids learn a lot of positive things from sports. And they also learn to ignore the idiots and evade the thugs. Good training for real life, which isn't sanitised no matter how many laws we create to do so.

KG said...

PM, I usually agree with you but...
What Zen said is very true. And Olympic boxing (especially in the lighter weight classes) can be an exercise in style and grace and almost supernatural skill.
I'd hate to see that end. :-)

Shem Banbury said...

What about darts or bowls??? I suppose you want to outlaw them as well.

Society would be much worse off if we had no sport. I agree with Zen Tiger as sport teaches life skills, develops leadership and is a benefit to society

PM of NZ said...

Ozy, I do not see darts or bowl players taking to each other like thugs on a regular basis.

There was nothing about outlawing sport, just the thuggery that is so prevalent in the name of sport.

ZenTiger said...

I agree about the poor example we see in thuggery, bad sportsmanship, irate parents etc.

I just don't see the link to boxing. At least when two boxers step into the ring, they both know the score. They've trained for this, and there are rules, even though it is about knocking the other guy down or out.

That is different than playing rugby and being deliberately whacked or dangerously tackled - which are also outside the rules.

The issue perhaps is that we have codes of conduct and rules, and when they are broken they are not well enforced.

Around that, are still many examples also of positive behaviour that must also surely have an impact, in terms of "what are we teaching our children".

We are likely in agreement on the last point - time to get real and enforce the code of conduct required of participants and spectators.