Tanya Sweeney Conor McGregor still has the potential to be a role model
Some of the best and most-loved athletes have an intriguing narrative, often one in which they have pulled themselves up by the bootstraps from humble beginnings to reach the upper echelons of their sport.
And, certainly, Conor McGregor’s story has the raw materials that could have made him a phenomenal role model in this regard.
Growing up in Crumlin and in a recession-addled era, McGregor was a plumber’s assistant while he dreamed of becoming a professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is famously dedicated to his fiancée Dee, who has been with him every step of the way, often picking him up from training in her rundown car. His sister Erin reportedly offered him a copy of Rhonda Byrne’s bestselling self-help tome, The Secret. The book reveals the power of the law of attraction — believe it enough, and think positively enough and you can make it happen. McGregor had a dream in his pocket, and, it goes without saying, plenty of determination, passion and self-belief.
Except when it comes to the business of being a consummate role model for youngsters, McGregor… well, he leaves us wanting a bit, doesn’t he?
This week, it emerged that an unnamed woman is suing McGregor in a multimillion euro personal injury lawsuit. The case is one of two initiated against the MMA star over events alleged to have taken place in 2018. The nature of the allegations made in the lawsuits cannot be disclosed for legal reasons, and McGregor had vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
However, McGregor has had a number of brushes with the law in recent times. In 2019 he was fined €1,000 by Dublin District Court for punching a man in the face in a south Dublin pub. The court heard McGregor had 18 previous convictions, the majority of which were in relation to road traffic offences. He had a previous assault conviction from 2009 when he was an apprentice plumber.
Even within the sporting arena, McGregor is well known for his denigration of others, and an almost comical level of verbal posturing. Granted, it’s all entertainment, and part of the daft panto that’s central to MMA’s ‘charm’, but this particular brand of masculinity, spiked with homophobia and aggression — McGregor was caught on camera using a homophobic slur in 2017 — is something we should probably be moving away from.
It’s a shame, because McGregor is clearly doing something right as an athlete. According to business magazine Forbes, he earned $48m (€39.6m) in the 12 months to May 2020 from winnings and endorsements.
And certainly, he has put some of his considerable earnings to good use, reportedly building homes for a homeless accommodation project in 2019. Yet a more recent social media post, in which McGregor showed off his new $1m Jacob & Co watch, sparked widespread derision.
It would be hard to begrudge McGregor his determination to live the good life, or indeed to nitpick on whatever way he prefers to spend his earnings. Yet one can’t help but wonder if, in a year when most people are facing huge financial uncertainty and difficulty — his young fans included — whether this on-brand messaging was a little wide of the mark.
There is hope for McGregor yet. As Brendan O’Connor noted in a column last year, McGregor offers a potent positive message to youngsters: “You don’t just have to be in the show, you can be the show. You can own the show.”
I don’t care if Conor McGregor has 40 million-euro watches, as it happens. Yet there is room within the McGregor brand, overblown as it is, for him to get back to those qualities that originally endeared us to him.
An emphasis on discipline, and dedication and dreams. Perhaps behind closed doors, McGregor has remained grateful and humble… but the rest of us see scant evidence of it. Besides, a consummate athlete, whatever their provenance, knows to let their talents do the talking.