Being on a pedestal works both ways

You can’t have your chocolate biscuit and eat it too. As a boy I remember idolising the All Blacks. It is hard not to. The All Black captaincy is one of the most highprofile roles in the country – rugby players are placed on a pedestal.

I can recall seeing Wayne Shelford leading the haka against France and while that legacy is a big responsibility for a group of young guys to continue, they do get things laid on for them on a platter.

In a previous life I worked in a hotel, in which the All Blacks were staying. Not only did these guys get paid substantially more than your average hospitality worker, they also received freebies from companies wanting to be associated with them.

They did not have to pay for gear, boots or even toll calls in the days of calling cards, because those things were all provided.

Things have changed with professionalism. We are living in commercial times when All Blacks do product endorsements ranging from sports drinks, homes, breakfast cereals and even chocolate biscuits, where their images are used in an attempt to woo the public into thinking if it is good enough for Steve Hansen to be advertising a chocolate biscuit, then people should buy them.

It sends mixed messages for impressionable young fans, who eat the same breakfast cereal as their heroes and consume sports drinks because All Blacks do, when those same heroes are involved in off-the-field incidents.

While it is great for people to have role models to aspire to and have fans being encouraged to stand together with the team, it seems inconsistent for these guys to be role models when they are advertising a product or taking junior rugby training, but not when they are involved in off-the-field indiscretions in public places.

I know that there is temptation and these guys are often targets due to their status as professional rugby players, but unfortunately you can’t have it both ways.

Social media is a powerful tool and can build a brand such as the All Blacks, but it can also damage it.

It can get players and teams a massive fan base of followers, but at the same time, widespread ownership of smartphones where most people have a camera or video device in their pockets, means players are under the microscope a lot more.

You hear stories of things that happened on tour in the amateur days, but back then there was no such thing as social media and it was widely considered what happened on tour stayed on tour.

Modern-day players are in a privileged position of being paid money to play footy and being world famous in New Zealand, so it goes with the territory.

For all that, I do have an issue with private incidents making it into the public arena. It is one thing seeing issues, which are a matter of public offence taking place, involving a top-level player or anyone for that matter, but when it moves into the private arena, it is none of our business.