Nice guys finish last
Watching the Euros on tv has demonstrated
the pace, athleticism and technical ability of the top players in Europe. Watching
them in action is a sobering reminder of the challenge faced by Scottish clubs
when they come up against the better European sides. Not only are these guys super-fit
athletes, they also have a firm grasp of the tactical side of the game and do
their homework on the opposition. We saw this in the France v Netherlands game
were two fine attacking sides essentially cancelled each other out and chances
were few and far between.
At this level of competitive football,
games can be decided on moments of brilliance or by the sort of forced errors
the high pressing, high pressure style of play most teams adopt. Professional
sport is about winning and players will seek any advantage they can on the
field. It can be frustrating when the play acting starts and players look to
have opponents carded for very little. That being said, it is amusing how
quickly players who go down as if they’ve been shot get back up when the ref
spots their theatrics and doesn’t award a foul.
What place is there in this world of
ultra-competitive sport for old fashioned sportsmanship? We have seen examples
of it over the years but it is increasingly rare. In football we saw Paolo Di
Canio catch the ball when West Ham were in a good attacking position because he
saw the Everton keeper, Paul Gerrard was injured. Robbie Fowler was once
awarded a penalty for Liverpool but went to the referee and told him that he’d
tripped himself and the award was rescinded. In the often brutal world of rugby,
Colin Charvis of Wales was knocked out by a tackle in a test match against New
Zealand. As play raged on, All Black player, Tana Umaga seeing that Charvis was
in trouble, left his position and rushed to his aid. He removed his gum shield,
made sure he was breathing and rolled Charvis into the recovery position.
Historically one of the bravest acts of
sportsmanship came in the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. Roger Williamson, a young
driver competing in only his second race crashed spectacularly and was trapped
in his burning car. David Purley, a fellow competitor saw immediately that
Williamson was trapped in the upside-down vehicle and abandoned his car to
help. As he desperately tried to push Williamson’s burning car upright, the
stewards stood unable to help as they had no fire-resistant clothing.
Williamson grabbed a fire extinguisher from one and emptied it into the blaze in a vain attempt to
save his fellow driver. His bravery was recognised by many and he was awarded
the George medal.
In the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Lutz Long
watched his main competitor for the long jump gold medal foul for the second
time. The judge raised his red flag to declare it a no jump. The handsome young
German wandered over to the talented American and gave him some advice in front
of 110,000 watching fans. ‘You’re jumping too late, try jumping from a few
inches further back. You’ll make the qualifying distance no problem so why risk
another foul and disqualification?’ It was a very sporting act from Long
and he watched the young American take his advice and leap into the final. That
young American eventually beat Long to the Gold medal. His name was Jesse Owens
and this happened in front of Adolf Hitler. Owens, an African American, was
aware of the Nazi’s crackpot racial theories and said afterwards that “It took a lot of courage for
Lutz to befriend me in front of Hitler, you can melt down all the medals and
cups I have and they wouldn’t be a plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt
for Luz Long at that moment.’’ Lutz Long was first to reach Owens when he smashed the
World record and won his gold medal. He held Owens arm aloft, recognizing his
sporting greatness as the crowd cheered.
Lutz and Owens corresponded after the Olympics and
their children remained in touch for years after. Lutz was killed fighting with
the Wehrmacht in Sicily in 1943 and lies buried in a war cemetery there with
over 5000 other German servicemen. Owen struggled to make a living in the segregated
America of the post war years. One of 17 black athletes who competed for the
USA at the 1936 Olympics, winning 14 medals, Owens suffered the humiliations and
snubs African-Americans dealt with on a regular basis in those days. When he died in 1980 of
lung cancer at the age of 66, the US president Jimmy Carter paid him tribute
saying, 'Perhaps no athlete better symbolised the human struggle against
tyranny, poverty and racial bigotry'.
Leo Durocher was a baseball coach of some repute in the major
league of the USA in the years after World War 2. Notoriously bellicose and
mouthy ‘Leo the Lip’ was also absolutely ruthless and often ordered
his pitchers to hit the batters with the ball deliberately. ‘Nice guys
finish last’ was his usual comment when challenged on his approach to
baseball. He was loud, brash and a hard drinking coach but when it came to
winning he was focussed and determined. He spotted a hugely talented player and
was determined to get him into his Dodgers side. The player was Jackie Robinson
and his signing caused huge controversy because he was black and the Major
Leagues simply didn’t play black players in that era. Durocher was determined
to get Robinson into the team and faced down those in his own club who were
unhappy with a black player in the dressing room. He told a meeting of his
unhappy players with typical bluntness….
‘It’s important
to win a match but I think what is more important is the manner in which you
win it.’ I’ll second that.
