Some sports people deserve a pay rise

UNTIL the attack on London, the most talked about news of the week was Jason Taumalolo signing a $10 million deal to stay with the Cowboys for the next decade.

Everyone seemed to have an opinion.

“What if he has a career-ending injury a year or two in?” “What if he has an irreversible form slump?”

Yet, I could only think of what might have been.

There would be more than a few out there who these days wished they put in more effort in their rugby league, football, cricket, boxing or netball playing days.

The money sports people pick up these days is amazing.

Those old enough to remember might recall the days of NFC - National Fitness Club - that most kids attended in the 1960s.

Australia could do well to bring back the NFC which put kids through various disciplines such as gymnastics, wrestling and boxing.

I took to boxing early on but I was never going to be a Floyd Mayweather making half-a-billion dollars (as he had at last count).

I only ever had one fight and copped a flogging.

Although, in my defence, my sister can really hit.

As kids we used to watch our heroes and dream of playing for Australia whether it be rugby league, rugby union, cricket, tennis, football or, in the days of Lionel Rose and Johnny Famechon, boxing.

And really, it was only lack of talent, courage and dedication that stopped me.

No-one begrudges the money these sports stars can demand, even though the cash some of the elite footballers in Europe or baseball and gridiron players in the US or even our cricketers of today are on at times seems obscene.

Fancy picking up $300,000 a week to kick around, and occasionally head, a round air-filled ball?

Even my beloved Dragons, who by some reports out of Sydney are supposed to be in debt, are going to fork out a $1 million a season for a half-back from next year.

Yet, among all this week’s discussion of today’s highly paid sports people, I couldn’t help but feel for Antonio Romero.

Now, I don’t know what sort of money your average Mexican matador is on, but whatever it is it’s surely not enough.

No matter what you think of the sport of bull fighting, Antonio deserves sympathy if not a pay rise.

Without wanting to be too graphic, I’ll simply quote The Sun’s website report of the incident in which, for once, the bull got its revenge after Antonio fell to the ground mid-joust.

“The matador ended up with the bull’s horn some 11 inches (28cm) up his rectum, causing ‘severe’ injuries,” said the report with graphic photos and video.

Now, you will hear these highly paid footballers, cricketers, boxers etc telling press conferences of the sacrifices and pain they had to go through to get where they are.

After Antonio, their claims seem lame.

❝lack

It was only

of talent, courage and dedication that stopped me.