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Is Money Bolt's Only Concern?
Published: Friday | November 22, 201319 Comments
By*Orville Higgins
Shelly-Ann*Fraser*Pryce is transforming in front of our eyes. When most*Jamaicans*were aware of her in 2008, she was this attractive, shy, modest girl who had shocked the world by winning the 100 metres in Beijing.
Five years on, her stock has risen, and not merely by what she is accomplishing on the track. Nowadays her talent is taken for granted, but she is also winning new friends and influencing more people.
She has been making some rather strident remarks that the powers that be are not doing enough to helpJamaica's*athletes, in light of the battering that Jamaica's image is taking from*the*international*media, as it relates to our drug-testing regime. She has taken it upon herself to champion the cause of the athletes here in Jamaica, especially the less fortunate, and has vowed to set up a union so that athletes can have a voice.
The thought is noble. Shelly-Ann's success on the track has surely ensured that she is financially stable, at the very least, and, therefore, no longer suffering from the plights of the athletes whose cause she is prepared to champion.
She could easily have taken the position that she would look out for herself only, as so many others have done. That she is prepared to look out for those less fortunate than herself, means that beneath that ever-ready smile lies not only a super athlete, but also a wonderful human being.
Future president
She has gone as far as to say she would strike, down the road, if she doesn't feel that the concerns of the athletes are addressed. I could be wrong, but I can't think of many other Jamaican sportspersons, at the height of their careers, who would be prepared to strike, to put their own career, on hold, to help others. I don't necessarily agree, entirely, with Shelly-Ann.
I personally think that the issue of striking is much too premature, but I admire the fact that she is prepared to go this far. Shelly-Ann is preparing herself for a life after track. She could well be a Jamaica*AthleticsAdministrative Association (JAAA) president in the making. That is Shelly-Ann's stance, which is diametrically opposite to that of the other athlete of the year, Usain Bolt.
Note how quickly Bolt came out and said he wouldn't be striking because, "track and field is my job". The statement by Bolt, though understandable, is not one that escapes criticism. The very act of striking means that you are taking yourself, however temporarily, out of your job.
People do that every day, once they believe the cause is right, and Bolt's argument that he can't strike because this is his job, is, therefore, not only technically found wanting, but hasn't gone down well with many people who are now seeing him as being blinded to the social causes of Jamaica and its athletes, and only motivated by money.
Think on it. Bolt was complaining that the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) should get its house in order because (a) he feared that Jamaica might have been kicked out of the next Olympics, and (b) he was missing out on some commercial opportunities, because of the doubts surrounding his participation in the next Olympic Games.
Whether Bolt intends it or not, the impression is already being formed that Jamaica's image is not so much his concern, his commercial well-being is. Now all that may be okay for the average Joe.
If I were earning US$20 million a year, or whatever it is he makes, I would be keen on protecting that. But Bolt is not an average Joe. Among his many 'titles' is the one of ambassador for Jamaica, and I'm not convinced all his utterances have been 'ambassadorial', since this whole business of JADCO and its operations have taken the international spotlight. Bolt has to be careful he doesn't come across as being more conscious of the rewards he is making from the sport, as opposed to being more sympathetic to the plight of others.
Orville Higgins is a sports journalist and radio talk-show host. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com
Published: Friday | November 22, 201319 Comments
By*Orville Higgins
Shelly-Ann*Fraser*Pryce is transforming in front of our eyes. When most*Jamaicans*were aware of her in 2008, she was this attractive, shy, modest girl who had shocked the world by winning the 100 metres in Beijing.
Five years on, her stock has risen, and not merely by what she is accomplishing on the track. Nowadays her talent is taken for granted, but she is also winning new friends and influencing more people.
She has been making some rather strident remarks that the powers that be are not doing enough to helpJamaica's*athletes, in light of the battering that Jamaica's image is taking from*the*international*media, as it relates to our drug-testing regime. She has taken it upon herself to champion the cause of the athletes here in Jamaica, especially the less fortunate, and has vowed to set up a union so that athletes can have a voice.
The thought is noble. Shelly-Ann's success on the track has surely ensured that she is financially stable, at the very least, and, therefore, no longer suffering from the plights of the athletes whose cause she is prepared to champion.
She could easily have taken the position that she would look out for herself only, as so many others have done. That she is prepared to look out for those less fortunate than herself, means that beneath that ever-ready smile lies not only a super athlete, but also a wonderful human being.
Future president
She has gone as far as to say she would strike, down the road, if she doesn't feel that the concerns of the athletes are addressed. I could be wrong, but I can't think of many other Jamaican sportspersons, at the height of their careers, who would be prepared to strike, to put their own career, on hold, to help others. I don't necessarily agree, entirely, with Shelly-Ann.
I personally think that the issue of striking is much too premature, but I admire the fact that she is prepared to go this far. Shelly-Ann is preparing herself for a life after track. She could well be a Jamaica*AthleticsAdministrative Association (JAAA) president in the making. That is Shelly-Ann's stance, which is diametrically opposite to that of the other athlete of the year, Usain Bolt.
Note how quickly Bolt came out and said he wouldn't be striking because, "track and field is my job". The statement by Bolt, though understandable, is not one that escapes criticism. The very act of striking means that you are taking yourself, however temporarily, out of your job.
People do that every day, once they believe the cause is right, and Bolt's argument that he can't strike because this is his job, is, therefore, not only technically found wanting, but hasn't gone down well with many people who are now seeing him as being blinded to the social causes of Jamaica and its athletes, and only motivated by money.
Think on it. Bolt was complaining that the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) should get its house in order because (a) he feared that Jamaica might have been kicked out of the next Olympics, and (b) he was missing out on some commercial opportunities, because of the doubts surrounding his participation in the next Olympic Games.
Whether Bolt intends it or not, the impression is already being formed that Jamaica's image is not so much his concern, his commercial well-being is. Now all that may be okay for the average Joe.
If I were earning US$20 million a year, or whatever it is he makes, I would be keen on protecting that. But Bolt is not an average Joe. Among his many 'titles' is the one of ambassador for Jamaica, and I'm not convinced all his utterances have been 'ambassadorial', since this whole business of JADCO and its operations have taken the international spotlight. Bolt has to be careful he doesn't come across as being more conscious of the rewards he is making from the sport, as opposed to being more sympathetic to the plight of others.
Orville Higgins is a sports journalist and radio talk-show host. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com
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