Time for players to take a moral position
THERE is no ‘i’ in team but there is in testimonial. Two, in fact. And yet there are ways to make it about more than the individual.
Niall Quinn certainly set the bar high. When the popular Ireland striker organised a testimonial match between Sunderland and Ireland back in 2002, he donated the entire proceeds of over £1million to charity, two children’s hospitals enjoying the benefits — Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and the Royal Infirmary in Sunderland.
Rather than charging an appearance fee, the players who took part received a letter from a sick child. Hugely lauded for the gesture, Quinn was showered with plaudits, including an honorary MBE.
A decade later, he was speaking at the Dublin Bus Community Spirit Awards when he namechecked Dublin footballer Rory O’Carroll, describing the 22-yearold full-back as his ‘sporting hero’ for the volunteer work the All-Ireland winner undertook in between his university studies and football.
They have a platform to broaden the debate
O’Carroll’s volunteer work at the Capuchin Day Centre helped to highlight the work of the centre, and its founder, Brother Kevin Crowley.
At the moment, sports stars abroad are at the heart of two of the biggest social and political stories. Colin Kaepernick’s decision to ‘take a knee’ during the American National Anthem set the San Francisco 49ers quarterback on a road where he has become a symbol for the struggle to highlight racial injustice in the States.
In Spain, Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué put himself front and centre of the debate over Catalan independence, notwithstanding the impact on his future playing soccer for his country.
‘Politics is a drag, but why shouldn’t I express myself?’ he reasoned.
‘I understand those players who don’t want to say anything. We’re footballers but we’re people, too. Why can a journalist or a mechanic express themselves but not a footballer?’ Why not, indeed. Look at Juan Mata of Manchester United and how he is spearheading the Common Goal project, whereby players donate one per cent of their basic salary to charity in the shape of a collective fund run by Berlin-based streetfootballworld.
Perhaps it’s time for players here to publicly exhibit a social conscience.
Colm Cooper’s gala dinner this Friday at the Intercontinental Hotel in Ballsbridge has the association wrestling with its own conscience and whether arguably the greatest forward of his generation has a right to pocket a share of the proceeds, likely to be upwards of six figures, even if two nominated charities are set to benefit substantially as well, along with his club Dr Crokes and Kerry.
At the official launch of what is a ground-breaking move for a Gaelic player, Cooper spoke sincerely about the two charities close to his heart —- Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and Kerry Cancer Support Group. He talked of his own mother who had a bout of cancer before she passed away, and how vital a role the support unit’s bus to Cork is for those accessing treatment.
If it was a mis-step not to declare the exact percentage going to charity from the start, why not use the platform on Friday night to push the envelope beyond the bottom line? Expand any video footage beyond his career highlights to the services those same charities provide.
Think of the impact of Brendan Gleeson thundering on the Late Late Show about the treatment of those on hospital trolleys.
At a time when the power of celebrity — sporting or otherwise — has never been more powerful, why not use that as an agent of social change?
Nobody’s expecting Cooper to take a knee during the national anthem for Dr Crokes in the Munster Club Championship, but players are entitled to have a voice beyond the whitewash.
Look at Ger Brennan thanking the ‘boyfriends and girlfriends’ from the steps of the Hogan Stand when St Vincent’s won the club football All-Ireland on St Patrick’s Day 2014.
Five-time Dublin All-Ireland winner Philly McMahon has long been a social campaigner. His new book The Choice is not just a memoir but a cautionary tale on the perils of drug addiction and the need to re-examine how society deals with the very human stories behind addiction. Galway dual player Alan Kerins has gone on to do valuable work through his own project and more recently Gorta Self Help Africa, as part of the effort to end poverty and suffering rural southern Africa.
Brian O’Driscoll’s testimonial has been mentioned in dispatches, even by the Gooch himself, and it’s worth noting all the proceeds, too, went to charity.
The visit to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin by the All-Ireland winners every year is an important ritual, a reminder that the GAA is about giving something back as much as winning.
No doubt plenty of players do their own thing quietly, especially at a local level. But at a time when managers’ paranoia has put the pressure on players not to say anything match related outside the banal, players have a platform to broaden the debate.
Look at the likes of Oisín McConville and Niall McNamee who have remained outspoken, articulate campaigners on the subject of gambling addiction. Tonight, RTÉ will screen Living With An
Addict which features the heartrending story of Galway hurler Davy Glennon.
Last week, the One-Zero Sports and Leadership Conference took place at Croke Park. Tipperary’s 2016 All-Ireland winning hurling captain Brendan Maher was part of a star-studded panel from champion jockey AP McCoy to former heavyweight boxer Frank Bruno.
The guest speaker who stole the show though was Hope Solo, the former American soccer goalkeeper, two-time Olympic gold medallist and World Cup champion.
She spoke passionately on the topic of women’s equality in sport. Her message? ‘Silence will not change the world’.