For every winner there has to be a loser.
So whenever Australia celebrates the graduation of a locally-produced talent to a top overseas league there is also the lament that the athlete won't be showcasing their skills at home.
For our soccer and basketball - the two biggest participation sports on the planet - it has been a pleasant unpleasantry. While wonderful for the sport to have Australians starring abroad, their absence has had a detrimental effect on the codes at home.
It is tough for FFA and Basketball Australia to make the A-League and NBL more appealing when they know the competitions aren't the best going around. That task becomes more difficult when parts of the sporting marketplace perceive that even Australia's best aren't involved.
But over the past week the winds - probably more like a zephyr but movement at least - of change have blown through both competitions.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tanks for nothing AFL
Integrity has been the AFL's buzz word for 2011.
After all, trust is an important element for any sport on a marketing drive.
If the punters think your competition is a bit dodgy - and with all apologies to WWE - then they are going to take their faith to another venue.
That is why the AFL was at pains to highlight the drop in positive drug tests earlier this season. The league wants to be considered one of cleanest competitions in the world. When it comes to players, no-one should have the unfair advantage.
In recent times, AFL House has made examples of those who have bet on matches. Remember, Sydney's Kieren Jack was reprimanded for placing two $5 wagers on matches not involving his Swans.
Only last year AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson said on sanctioning others for gambling on games, "'(The penalties) may seem in some cases to be more than people may expect, but you cannot underestimate the importance of protecting the integrity of our game."
There's that word again.
So it has been hard to reconcile that level of integrity with what happened in the AFL this week.
After all, trust is an important element for any sport on a marketing drive.
If the punters think your competition is a bit dodgy - and with all apologies to WWE - then they are going to take their faith to another venue.
That is why the AFL was at pains to highlight the drop in positive drug tests earlier this season. The league wants to be considered one of cleanest competitions in the world. When it comes to players, no-one should have the unfair advantage.
In recent times, AFL House has made examples of those who have bet on matches. Remember, Sydney's Kieren Jack was reprimanded for placing two $5 wagers on matches not involving his Swans.
Only last year AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson said on sanctioning others for gambling on games, "'(The penalties) may seem in some cases to be more than people may expect, but you cannot underestimate the importance of protecting the integrity of our game."
There's that word again.
So it has been hard to reconcile that level of integrity with what happened in the AFL this week.
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