Issue No 119 | 16 November 2001 | |
The Locker RoomJim Marr's Tribal Mind
Sport is best served with a liberal dose of tribalism, right? Well anyone who has had the privilege of standing on Anfield's Kop, or even the bank at Marathon Stadium, would surely agree. Like most things, however, tribalism is a double-edged sword. It can slice the top right off our critical faculties. Australians are not the world's most emotional sporting enthusiasts, not by a long chalk, but even they can lose perspective. Exhibit one - Kevin Muscat's tackle on Frenchman Christophe Dugarry at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The general consensus seemed to be that Muscat was a tough Aussie battler while the Frenchman was a soft, Gallic prima donna, if not a dead-set poofter. Fact - the tackle was a shocker that should have made the referee, at least, see red. Exhibit two - big Jason Stevens' tap dance on the swede of British prop Terry O'Connor. Now it's fair to say, that it was very likely accidental. Rugby league props are taught to hit the tackle, get straight to their feet, plant one of them, and play the ball quickly. There is, in the game's laws, a responsibility on the tackler, in this case O'Connor, to roll away from the ruck. None of that, though, is the point. Imagine the reaction of fans and media if the boot had been on the other cheek. Exhibit three - Glenn McGrath's over of near wides to Kiwi batsman Craig McMillan when the visitors needed 18 runs from three overs to complete the biggest form reversal since Piers Ackerman wrote two true words, admittedly his byline, in the Tele. Sure, Steve Waugh made the test with his declaration and, equally, the Kiwis did not deserve to win but, with McMillan eventually taking guard outside his stumps and still unable to reach the ball, you would be entitled to question whether or not it really was cricket. Then again, it's a bloody good feeling when everything you always knew about some breed of foreigner is proven to be indisputably right. The odd moan in defeat is understandable but there is nothing lower than a poor winner. Clive Woodward's post-match press conference at Twickers was a classic of its kind, pretty much summing up everything we had always known about Pommy sportsmen, if that's not an oxymoron. That's the thing about tribalism. Once you pay your fare, you can take the hula girl option, ride until you uncover the Taliban within, or get off at any station in-between. The choice is yours.
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Interview: Out of the Rubble Michael Costa argues that Saturday's election result could have been much, much worse. Unions: Sixty-Forty Are Good Odds! John Robertson argues that while there may be many problems with the ALP, union power is not one of them. Politics: Wrong Way, Go Back Labor's failure in the federal election is the result of more than bad luck. It is the result of a shift to populism that has left the Party bereft of core principles. Campaign Diary: Week Five: All Washed Up If you can stand it, relive the fatefull final week of a most remarkable election campaign. International: Trade Piracy Unmasked As the trade barons met in Qatar to chart out their agenda, George Monbiot looks at the machinations behind the scenes. Factions: The Party's Over Chris Christodoulou renews his call for a breakdown of the factional system to bring new life into the ALP History: The Fall-Out Neale Towart looks back to Labor's reaction to its loss in the 1954 'Petrov election' and finds warnings for today's post mortem. Media: Elite Defeat Rowan Cahill looks at the intellectual paucity in the PM's ongoing attacks on 'elite opinion'. Satire: Crean 'Listens To Australian People': Will Sink Refugee Boats Simon Crean, the most likely candidate to replace Kim Beazley as Labor's leader, says he will take heed of the message sent to the ALP by Australian voters at the Federal Election.
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