Cadel Evans with teammates
It’s not often you’re publicly abused before breakfast. But that’s what happened after my Today Show appearance when I exclaimed that I didn’t understand the huge deal about Cadel Evans and thought the coverage of sporting victories was disproportionate. My skin is pretty thick but I will admit the abuse came as a bit of a shock.
Not to my husband. When I called him on my way into work, reeling from the complete slagging that was happening on Twitter, he said “What happened on the show?” and I said “Cadel” and he said “Oh no babe, you didn’t do your ‘sportspeople aren’t heroes’ thing, did you?”
Um, yes. I did.
I didn’t wake up on a hobby horse. I noted that Cadel Evans had won the Tour de France and I thought “oh, that’s nice for him” and that was about it.
My first hint that I was out of step with popular opinion came when the Today Show producer called to tell me about the topics for this morning’s What’s Making News segment.
“Karl wants to do the whole thing on Cadel.” What? The whole segment? Really?
Then, I watched from the make-up room as Karl called for everyone on the set, including Lisa, Dickie and Alicia at the desk, to rise for the national anthem to celebrate Cadel’s win.
There was talk of a public holiday.
And that’s when I started to become really baffled.
The rest is a blur, possibly a nightmare and certainly something I wish hadn’t happened because nobody needs to be called 500 different awful names before they’ve eaten their Weetbix.
This is our segment:
This was my general point:
Good on Cadel. I’m sure it was an achievement and great that he won. I’m not taking anything away from his physical sporting achievement. It’s impressive to be the best in the world at something.
But I’ve always had a problem with the way Australian sportspeople are revered as heroes and worshipped above every other profession.
To me, heroes are people who help other people or who somehow work selflessly to benefit others. Nurses, doctors, scientists working to cure diseases, those who work with sick people or disadvantaged people, fire fighters and those who risk their lives in wars or their daily jobs, those who volunteer…..you get the drift.
That’s my definition of hero. I’m not saying it should be yours.
Clearly, I am in the vast, vast minority here (I certainly know that after today having been called a dog, a bitch, unAustralian, a stupid, ignorant fool, told I should lose my job, fuck off and shut the hell up, go back to writing about lipstick……and that is not even the worst of it).
But sportspeople – who spend their lives honing their physical skills with vast support from sponsors and teams of support people – well, I don’t think the word ‘heroes’ applies to them particularly.
I think pursuing a life doing something you’re good at for the benefit of yourself is not heroic. It’s not a BAD thing, I’m not dissing Cadel (of course not!) but the idea that a sports person should be idolised because they can ride far or jump high or swim fast is, to me, a bit odd. I guess I’m just flagging the fact that if you do well in sport, the country and the media stop to worship you in a way that doesn’t happen to anyone else for doing anything else.
The abuse I received was instant and it continues, seemingly unabated. I have a pretty thick skin but by 8:15 I was in tears. I genuinely miscalculated the level of viciousness my comments (which I have made many times before) would provoke. My bad. Not for stating my opinion but perhaps for misreading the mood and the audience.
Many people have made the point that it’s great to have role models for kids to look up to, to encourage them to get on a bike or kick a ball. I agree absolutely. They’re certainly better role models than rappers or reality TV stars.
But I only wish other kinds of heroes would receive the same media and popular adulation, that kids could see that you could be wildly popular for helping others or doing something other than having a physical skill.
My husband explained to me that it brings people together and that this can’t be a bad thing. I guess. Things that make people feel good are important in a world of bad news. For that reason alone I can understand why it’s a good thing. And with the bad news that’s been around this past weekend, some good news is welcome.
But that’s not something I particularly understand either – I don’t feel closer to anyone or more proud to be Australian etc because someone won the most gruelling bike race in the world.
Anyway. I like to think I have a pretty good handle on popular opinion – not that I necessarily fall in line with it but I usually understand how it works. Not today though.
Two more things.
To those who are accusing me of being a killjoy, I would not have written this post of my own volition. I didn’t feel so strongly about it that I would have written it unprompted. It happened to be my Today Show day and I was asked my opinion and gave it.
Also, Cadel and other sports people are inspirational, strong, yep. We can celebrate them and should celebrate them – just like I celebrated when my cousin won an Oscar a few months ago. But I didn’t call him a hero.
If you strongly disagree with me, I would genuinely love to understand how sporting success makes you feel. Please don’t abuse me for not understanding it, I’ve had enough of that today. Still, I always have my mind open and am ready to learn about other opinions, this morning I was just expressing my own.
For a different view, check out Anthony Sharwood’s piece at The Punch here: http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/thank-you-cadel-youve-done-us-all-proud/
UPDATE: It’s 24 hours after I posted this and the reaction continues to astonish me. I had no idea that questioning the worship of a sports star could unleash such extraordinary vitriol. To those who have disagreed with me in a calm, civil way, I want to thank you. I have read much (not all) of the response. The Mamamia team have protected me from some of the most offensive abuse by deleting those posts so if you’re planning to leave that kind of comment below, save your breath because I won’t see it.
What I’ve learned from many of the responses is that ‘hero’ can be a subjective term. It may mean something different to you than it does to me. For many, it means role model, someone to look up to. Fair enough. I’m not telling you what to think or who to look up to.
My point was actually meant to be less about the word ‘hero’ than the disproportionate amount of media coverage and public adulation given to sports heroes as opposed to people who achieve equally amazing things in other non-sporting fields.
Comments on this post are now closed.
1,518 Comments so far
I tweeted you several times today, & sent links to my blog post about cycling. I hope you read them. I also hope you read Cadel Evans’ biography, ‘Close to Flying’, although your comment at the end of the clip makes me doubt that you will. If you do, ‘chapeau’. Here is a deeply thoughtful, determined man you did denigrate this morning: “I’m fired down. I just don’t care.” Worse still, you don’t understand that ‘regular people get it’; the smarmy comment about violins playing. You liked Tina Arena? Tina is a massive star in France. She lives in France. So why,repeatedly, did you say, “he doesn’t even live in Australia, he lives in Switzerland.” If you understood the sport, you would know cyclists train in Europe. It was really small of you to go back to that point, as if he’s less Australian.
For what it’s worth, my brother fits into your definition of hero – he’s a senior crewman on Westpac Rescue Helicopter. He doesn’t do it ‘selflessly’; it was his dream, & he’s paid to do it. His job is more dangerous than yours, but does that make his life worth more? No. He’s no more heroic than my Mother. You can work hard in your chosen vocation, pursue your dream & never give up. A cyclist was on the front page of the newspaper today – for once – after achieving the pinnacle of his sport. A sport where people can be killed. I hope you write a lot of articles about the ‘regular’ people you claim to view as heroes (having made a living out of writing & editing magazines filled with ‘celebrities’). Heroism is subjective, & you’re entitled to your view. I am truly sorry you have been abused. However different our heroes may be, they don’t have to be exclusive. I can view my brother with respect, take pride in my own achievements (am I less of a woman for not having a child? No) and still look in awe watching a man battle his body for 3,000 kilometres to fulfil his dream. From what you have written, it sounds like you channelled your feelings about Karl Stefanovic’s decision to make the Today Show ‘Cadel Day’, on camera, to belittle a man who’s done nothing to you, & to insult the millions of people who did enjoy the race & do ‘get it’. If you didn’t like it, don’t appear on the segment! So let’s see lots of posts about social workers & nurses on Mamamia. You’re the one with the pulpit – TV shows, blogs & books. If you don’t like worthy ‘heroes’ being ignored, then shine a light on them. Lead by example. Here is the link to my blog: http://thereferral.wordpress.com … I hope you to at least give this a go, so you can understand how a sport can touch a ‘regular’ person who has many different interests, heroes and passions.
Thank you
Kimberley
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Well said Kimberley. I agree wholeheartedly
Now I’m off to check out your blog!
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I don’t understand how Cadel winning the tour de France is meant to inspire kids from all sides of the track to achieve their dreams? Karl even points out that a kid will see “I’m born in Australia but I…. can go on to big and better things around the world” as far as I ever knew Australia is an extremely lucky country and people living here have extraordinary opportunities for success! I’m glad I heard Cadel had won before reading this because as the radio said “the first Australian to ever win TDF” my reaction was actually just “wow that’s pretty cool” I was not aware we’d never won it before! It’s a massive achievement and Cadel has put in years and years of hard work he deserves to enjoy his success and even if that’s millions of dollars in sponsorship deals I’m nothing but happy for him. What I don’t understand is how it’s apparently so inspiring for all Australians! The belief I have in myself to succeed comes from my family, friends and school telling me I can achieve things not from any person I’ve seen on the news. I’m a final year teaching student and that’s definitely not a job you go into for the glory but I think it would be fantastic if some outstanding teachers were household names! People are celebrated in every profession but not to this extent. Personally im inspired by brilliant educators because that is my passion so I understand young cyclists being inspired but this massive outpouring of attacks on Mia just symbolizes something scary to me. Yes let’s celebrate Cadel but let’s not blow it out of proportion. I understand all your points Mia and I understand why this is an exciting time, the only thing I don’t understand is how your opinion can provoke such mean spirited attacks from people…would all these people say it to your face? Doubtful! The courage that comes from sitting at a computer in anonymity is frightening.
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Oh Mia I am so sad to hear that you received such awful treatment and such vicious personal attacks. I guess for people who express their opinions in the public domain there is always that risk that people who are not tolerant to views that differ from their own will make personal attacks.
I am a person who tends to not view sports people as heroes but I have to admit that there was something kind of extra special about what Cadel did and I often wonder how we can really judge who is a hero based on whether someone saves lives or not. How do we really know if an ordinary person or a sporting hero saves a life by what they say or do or the example they set.
I teach in a boy’s school and I see the struggles everyday that young kids have with life and I reckon that if there is just one kid who might be depressed or suicidal, feeling like they cant ever get it right that is inspired by Cadel and chooses NOT to take his life then he can be called a hero.
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While I completely understand your argument Mia, I can’t help but think the situation was judged poorly.
The mood in the studio and the media as a whole was pretty clearly celebratory. To come on TV and (while I know you didn’t intend to) apparently criticise people for celebrating was never going to go down well. There is a time and a place for this discussion, but this wasn’t it.
Some truly horrible things happened over the weekend. Things that we will never forget. Is it any wonder that people grabbed on to the one positive we had?
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I can honestly say that in watching Evans ride the TDF, I was overwhelmed with the motivation, dedication and ability to endure that was so evident in his riding every day. Watching him put his body on the line constantly and push himself to (and beyond) the limit was seriously inspiring. Seeing people (yes, even athletes) do this inspires me to undertake everything that I do with more focus. In this respect, I do think he is a hero.
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Mia – You are a fabulous columnist and a great writer, but this is the one thing that gets me. In Australia we are mad about sport and we love our sportsman, and I understand the point you are trying to get across but unfortunately I doubt it’s going to change. Sport can do a whole lot of good for many people, especially children. I personally do not believe sportsman should be titled as heroes but some of them do achieve great things which can be extremely influential. Today, when I picked up the kids I nanny, the first thing they wanted to do was go home for a bike ride, to be like Cadel. This is sooo unlike them! Normally I get whines of ‘Can we play Wii?’ or ‘Can we watch TV?’. In a country that is facing an obesity epidemic, perhaps endorsing sportsman, isn’t the worst thing in the world?
My criticism of the tour de france – where is the race for women? That would of being the point I argued this morning on Today, Mia.
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There are Grand Tours for women – the most notable is probably the Giro d’Italia. It was on a few weeks ago. At the same time as this year’s Tour, a young Australian female cyclist, Carly Hibberd, was killed in a training ride by a motorist. Find out more through the Amy Gillett Foundation.
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Actually there is a Tour Feminine (though it is not being held this year). There is also a women’s version of the Giro d’Italia and other grand tours. There are Australian women competing in these, hence why our Australian cyclist women live overseas and unfortunately lose their lives on the roads – like Carly Hibberd recently and Amy Gillett.
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I saw one commentor on twitter someone called NQcowboy or something call Mia a bitch and a slut. This guy is also a complete racist from what I can see on his twitter feed, abusing an aboriginal group on twitter too, which was disgraceful.
I don’t care if Mia gets on the top of the Sydney Opera House in the nude to make some sort of point about whatever she wants to make a point about or provide an opinion on. NO ONE deserves to be called a bitch and a slut for discussing their opinion and the absolute disgusting torrent of abuse I have seen today.
By all means, those who have posted on here with well thought out and sensible arguments in disagreement with Mia, I completely encourage them and think that is everyone’s right. But what does abuse add to the argument? Nothing. Some guy commented earlier when I told him to add something to his argument other than abuse that “his comment had 13 likes and mine had 1″ – which missed the point in my opinion! He then fleshed out his argument which I thought was great that he was clear in providing his opinion rather than just hurling abuse.
Now I do like Mia’s website, I read it daily and comment alot and have followed Mia throughout her career, for those reading who think I’m a “mia supporter” getting on my soapbox.
Mia also gives me the shits sometimes in articles she writes and I click off annoyed and don’t read for a few days. A few weeks ago, she was really annoying me and I questioned whether I wanted to read the site anymore. That clearly didn’t stick!
So my point is, I don’t care if you disagree or agree with Mia. Just do it in the right way!
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I think a lot of people take offense to being told who they can and cannot consider a hero. I have lots of heroes in my life – my parents are my heroes, my friend battling cancer is a hero…and yes, Cadel is one of my heroes. They have all done things that to me are incredible and have inspired me in many different ways.
I felt incredibly sorry for you watching that segment. You’re arguments were essentially flawed and it was pretty clear that you had not done much research prior to the show. Yes, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but if you are going to go on national TV to express your views, they should at least be well founded and well researched.
What does the fact that he lives in Switzerland have to do with whether or not Cadel is perceived as a hero? Does that mean all the Australians living around the world doing marvelous things in their own fields can never be perceived as a hero because they don’t live in Australia.
Yes, some pretty shocking things happened this weekend and we heard a lot about them. There is so much death and destruction in the world – aren’t we entitled to a story that makes us feel good every now and again?
You said you wish the Australian public would give adulation other people who work hard in their fields, such as scientists and doctors. I think as a country, we do this a lot. You only have to look at the enormous amount of media exposure surrounding Elizabeth Blackburn being the first Australian woman to win a Nobel prize to see that we respect heroes across all industries. The simple fact is that sport is something that we can watch, cheer for, be a part of, as opposed to the work of say a scientist.
I perceived the calls for a public holiday to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to when Bob Hawke declared a public holiday for the America’s Cup win.
You said you find it hard to understand how regular people can say “this makes me feel good about myself” – you don’t have to understand it, you just have to accept that people (myself included) felt inspired by what Cadel Evans did, and we are all entitled to our own feelings. There is no right or wrong.
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What an interesting day this has been! I’ve read a lot of the comments and was glad to see there were a lot of people in support of Mia. Understandably, there were others who were not. I just wanted to say that whilst of course you are entitled to disagree, there is a difference between disagreement and abuse. Some people need to mind their manners a little.
On the whole, this post and its comments have reinforced to me that no matter which side we’re on, Australians are passionate about what they believe in and that we all share an equal right to voice that opinion – which should be respected by everybody.
(It also reinforced the fact that my tolerance for people whose idea of an ‘argument’ is to insult and belittle is non-existant, but that’s another story).
I am also reminded of why I love getting my news here on Mamamia where I can share my opinion and listen/read to other people’s as well
Look forward to what’s posted tomorrow!!
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Mia Freedman – You are right about one thing……you badly misjudged the pride that the majority of Australians have in the victory Cadel Evans in this year’s Tour De France – He triumphed over adversity and after 3,500km of gruelling mountain rides, he came out on top. Congrat to Cadel & Brickbats to ……….what was her name?
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Earlier today I made some comments as I don’t agree with the way in which Mia handled her spot on the Today show. As previously stated, I am in no way a sporting fan who thinks all triumphs make those people heros. I am a supporter of Cadel Evans and his huge achivements and feel that Mia should not have spoken as she did today. My concern now is that I have been accused of being “un-Australian” and …having “opinions unlike you haters who only want the whole world to agree with everthing you believe in. How very “un-australian of you” (said sarcastically)”. To the person who wrote this (Jay) I suggest you read what was written and take care not to make attacks and be so nasty. I did write a rather forthright comment but did not attack Mia by calling her any names nor approve of any absue she had received today. I would never be so rude as to suggest anyone lacks Australian qualities. I have not ever been someone to write on these sort of forums but was motivated to do so today due to the way Mia behaved on the TV. Now I know why I have previously restrained from these forums.
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Mia, before you make comments like your ones today, try doing what they have to do. Cycling is not an easy sport and the Tour is the most demanding event of all. Pedalling over 200km a day, up and down mountains and showing true and absolute dedication IS an inspiration. Half the world can’t even make it to the gym enough to stop the world going through an obesity epidemic. He has worked himself into the ground to acheive an amazing feat. You should try the sport of cycling and go for a ride up the Alpe D’Huez, the Tourmalet or Mont Ventoux and then tell me he is not a hero. That was a EPIC fail, Mia.
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Whilst Mia had some valid points in regards that we (Australians) put sports people on pedestals and yes there are lots of unsung ‘heroes’ doing good for others that don’t get the glory and money. There have been some ‘silly’ suggestions that in Cadel’s honour we should have such things as a Public Holiday. Yes agreed that is going too far. But I don’t think you can take anything away from Cadel or make a personal attack on him because of how the media is celebrating his win. Mia should know the media write and tell us (most of the time) what we WANT to read about and what we want to know more about. Australians love a good story when it contains hard work, sweat and tears. I don’t know much about Cadel, but yes I would consider him a SPORTING hero. Like I see certain football,cricket,tennis players. But I also have musical heroes (Bono) and business heroes(Richard Branson) and Medical heroes(Dr Teo) and my personal heroes(my parents) What I’m trying to say is we all have heroes in all walks of life. Today we celebrate Cadel Evans. In celebrating his victory, those that want to, can feel proud, inspired, motivated, or just plain happy. It does NOT take away how we feel about other events, tragic or joyous. For me it seems more appropriate that we celebrate the likes of Cadel Evans than it was when we spent weeks having Mary Donaldson on our Newspapers and Magazines. After all she was just a girl that none of us knew and doing something most of us do…..get married.
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Hi Mia,
About an hour after I saw your segment on the Today Show I had to go to the fertility centre day hospital. In the 8 hours I was there I saw a bunch of women (me included) put their hopes and dreams in the hands of fertility specialists. As we sat in the day surgery lounge waiting for our various procedures we all spoke about the extraordinary things that were going on behind the scenes and the incredible work being done by our specialists, scientists, the nursing staff and every other medical professional that was there today. So whilst I 100% commend Cadel Evans for what he did, no question that he’s an extraordinary athlete who deserves the success he got because of all of his hard work, but today at the day surgery, it is my opinion that I saw some heroes at work. So to me, your comments rang somewhat true.
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I have commented many times on the ‘is Mia a journalist’ snark in favour of yes, she is a journo. Maybe I’m nitpicking or have too good a memory but there are too many times Mia acts in ways that give fodder to the those who snark on the journo claim. Today was another one of them.
If you were informed the segment was on Cadel surely you had time to do some research, even on your phone while getting make up done for 5 mins read Wikipedia and you would learn he lives in Barwon Heads, Victoria, in the summer and when time allows. As someone who lives nearby I can tell you he is very much a local. The ‘he lives in Switzerland’ stuff was ignorant and offensive.
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A lot of comments about Australia being obsessed with sport and calling sports people heroes. I call them heroes because they can achieve what I can’t. Do you cheer your children when they play sport? Do they play sport? Do they have someone they consider an “hero”? These people have the “guts” to represent Australia in a sporting event – Olympics, TDF, yachting etc. Our schools do not base academic achievement on sport – America does. How many doctors do you see saving lives for the sake of saving life, how many give needy people medical attention without the consideration of a hefty fee? merely a handful are the real heros there. Those of us who sit back and don’t lift a finger to achieve anything should not bring the achievement of others tumbling down. They work hard for whatever achievement they reach. Yes, I would call Cadel Evans a hero – he fought hard – against peoples derisions as well as the elements to win that race and deserves all the praise and positive accolades. He does not deserve being victim of the “tall poppy syndrome” which most of the comments here have been doing. Find out about the adversities people like Cadel surmount to get where he is. The only medico who actually did what you claim as heroic is Dr Fred Hollows – now long dead.
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Mia Freedman, today YOU are my hero!
It was SO refreshing to hear your comments on prime time, sports obsessed telly today. The emphasis this country puts on sports and sports people IS completely exaggerated and feels SO unecessary when the REAL heros are out there saving lives WITHOUT medals or trophies or media recognition or public holidays. You’ve made me feel a little less alone in the world today. Well, that was until I read about the abusive comments you’ve been receiving since?! And then I was utterly dissapointed and left to question humanity all over again. But PLEASE don’t for one second take the criticism seriously! The fact they need to stoop to personal attacks and insults to get their point across can only extinguish the validity of what they have to say anyway.
And at the end of the day, just remember that the thing about common sense is that it’s not that common!
Thank you Mia, you have made my day.
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I think Karl could have guessed what Mia’s opinion on a cycling event was going to be. Why didn’t he step in to protect her from burying herself in front of so many viewers, instead he threw her under the proverbial ??? Maybe Karls not such a nice guy after all.
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Agree with you 100% Mia and I also emailed the Today show in your defence.
I didn’t see you your comments as a damning of Cadel’s achievement – great as it is. I felt you were raising the very valid issue of why sport stars are elevated above all others in this country.
Sure, sports has a place – but where is the same adulation / funding / media coverage for doctors, mothers, artists, writers, scientists? And if you dare to question the status quo, you get shot down in flames. Particularly vicious are the attacks online – when people are afforded the anonymity of the net, they get even nastier and it’s horrible to be on the other end of that.
I thought your comments raised some valid issues and were not offensive. Good on you for standing up and having the courage to stand by your convictions. I agree with you we need to give equal weight to other vocations than sport.
Karl Stefanovic is an uber conservative/network puppet and not, I believe, open to other points of view. He wasn’t listening to the message you were trying to get across – it’s base nationalism at best.
T.
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On a day where 90 odd people died in a tragic way during the night and for once the media put up a good news story!!!! You say you don’t get it!!! How about going with a good news story to cheer people up about this world!!!!
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The point is there are lots of other good news stories! Some guy has made some mirror ball that will allow you to purify 3 liters of water. I bet he had to put in a lot of hard yards to get ot that point. Can’t see a horde of writers lining up outside his door.
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Why does a dude winning a bike race have do be the featured good news story of the day, Phil? And how does it balance the loss of 90 lives? It doesn’t.
Some of us aren’t interested in sport. That’s why sport belongs on the back page of newspapers, not the front page.
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And some people honestly (rightly or wrongly) aren’t interested about people dying in Norway.
Since when does the front page always have the most important story on it?
Welcome to the world.
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Mia, my love, fuck ‘em. You are not alone. This is a country where cricketers are named Australian of the Year for doing….., well, not much, really.
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Having watched the video again, the incident clearly demonstrates that Karl was phishing for controversy and the opportunity to belittle Mia’s opinion. This is probably in part due to his own feeling about Cadel but I’m sure the producers thought it was gold
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Hero = doing something selfless for someone else. May or may be rewarded financially.
Professional sportsperson = doing something you enjoy (albeit hardwork) that is hugely profitable.
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Not all professional sports are hugely profitable.
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So many of the comments on here make it sound like being good at sports is a bad thing…and if you happen to excel and win, apparently that’s even worse….I don’t get it- why should an academic or creative achievement be any more legitimate or impressive than a sporting achievement?
I think people should be proud of excelling in anything they put their mind to. No ine thing is better than the othere.
Thispost makes me sad
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really? I am gobsmacked! At a dinner party I wouldn’t definetly drink another gulf of wine!
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Mia, I agreed with you this morning and I still do. Yeah, winning the French race is awesome, but it hasn’t changed my life by him doing it… To be honest, the way the Today Show carried on and on and on about him this morning, I was sick to death of hearing about anything cycling related by ten past eight and I just flicked over to Foxtel to watch something else.
This country IS overly obsessed with sports, no question about it. It’s almost like a “quick high” that people get.. (Let’s face it, most sporting victories are forgotten by the vast majority within six months and when they are reminded by the media on the one year anniversary they say “Oh yeah, I remember that…”)
What really gets me is all these people who say “Oh they work SO hard for this..” OK, fine. Why can’t they focus that drive and determination toward academic achievements instead? THAT is hard work too. Answer? Because they will not be rewarded for it… If you win at sport, you will get the fame, the money (remember Grant Hacketts special Gold SS Commodore for swimming?) AND offers at lucrative TV or public speaking careers.
This is seriously why nations like China and India are overtaking the Western world as economic powerhouses… THEY STUDY!!! Don’t complain if you end up working for them one day, just console yourself with the thought that “Oh well, we can kick a footy.” or “Hey, we peddled a pushbike through France.”
Mia, you didn’t deserve any of that abuse. This is for now at least, a free country that allows freedom of speech and the freedom to express your opinions. Your opinion just didn’t match with the opinions of the ruder more agressive elements in our society. I’m sure that most who were hurling abuse at you are the same “ugly parents” one sees at school sports events… There’s a lovely legacy of sporting achievement right there…
How proud we should all be…
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Why are we valuing one achievement over the other? I don’t understand.
Why not celebrate both?
To suggest that sportspeople choose sport over academia because its more rewarding is incredibly confusing to me. I worked incredibly hard in my studies and did very well. However if I’d put that much work into cycling, I’d still be a pretty average cyclist.
Coming from a very disadvantaged area in NSW, I saw a lot of kids drop off the radar in my school years. For a lot of kids, sport is what keeps them in school and off the streets.
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Just out of interest, Lana and/or Nicky, how many comments have you deleted today?
I think it is important for people who have become angry/annoyed with Mia’s remarks/opinion, that they remember to argue the actual argument rather than attack the arguer (i.e Mia). I disagree with Mia (you can read my opinion about a million pages ago) but I do not like her any less for it, I still think she is an incredibly bright, savy and smart woman, she is allowed her opinion and I hope she continues to give her opinion in the future.
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Oh just a few…
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Chelsea – we have only deleted comments that directly contravene out dinner party guidelines – sadly we have had a few people to the table who we have had to show the door. But hey we still have over 1200 comments on this post so once again we can be confident that the majority of Mamamia readers are willing to debate a point without resorting to abuse
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Very disappointed Mia I use to be a fan. Cadel is a hero and an inspiration.
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Oh Mia. A faux pas you’ll remember for awhile. I decided to look up ‘hero’ in the dictionary.
hero (ˈhɪərəʊ)
— n , pl -roes
1. a man distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility, fortitude, etc
2. a man who is idealized for possessing superior qualities in any field
3. classical myth a being of extraordinary strength and courage, often the offspring of a mortal and a god, who is celebrated for his exploits
4. the principal male character in a novel, play, etc
I think Cadel would qualify under this definition, so you Mia are entitled to your opinion. Even if it is wrong.
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Thanks Luke. I was going to look it up too.
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geez luke you need to update your dictionary!
“a man” “a male character”.
last time i checked women can be heroes too!
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They would be heroines
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i thought we used non-gender specific titles now, maybe not in sportsland
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I think you’ll find it under ‘heroine’.
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“Heroine” is the female equivalent, although you don’t hear it used as often.
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I’m glad you cleared all that up for us Mia. Please do as Karl suggested – read the book.
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I’m surprised that you were surprised by the reaction. He may not be your hero, but he is a hero to many. You just told thousands of people that their hero is not worthy of their adulation. You would get the same response for discounting any hero, regardless of their field of accomplishment.
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Totally with you on this one Mia. Nothing more to say.
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Would love to see a quarter of the funding given to Australia’s Olympic team go to resources for homeless people.
Agree with you 100% Mia – sportspeople such as Cadel don’t do it for Australia, they do it themselves!
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or Tibet… http://www.smh.com.au/news/general/evans-gears-up-for-a-free-tibet-tour/2008/06/13/1213281291062.html
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Dear Mia, I am so sorry to hear you have been at the receiving end of hatefulness today… I watched you on the Today show this morning, and can’t say I’m really surprised… Australia’s obsession with sports is so ingrained that your (really very mild) comments were bound to offend those who were riding high on the achievements of one of our many athletes… For what it’s worth, I tend more to your point of view than theirs – I mostly couldn’t care less about sports and the achievements of the athletic elite – it’s nice for them, but does not impact on my life in any way… And I also think that Karl did you something of a disservice by being so argumentative with you when he found your opinion was different to his – he could have handled the situation with more diplomacy.
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Mia, I didn’t agree with your comments but I certainly agree that Karl put on a bit of an act there to stir things up, unfairly, and I wouldn’t say it’s the first time he’s done that to someone.
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I don’t quite agree with your opinion on this issue, but don’t entirely disagree either. I am however totally appalled at the response. No matter what you’re entitlted to an opinion and do not deserve to be personally attacked for having one that’s different to the vast majority of people
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I have only read a small propotion of the comments, because I find a lot of it quite shocking to be honest. But I honestly dont get the hate. I agree with Mia – I dont get it. I have never been into sports, and yes I heard about Cadel winning, but I honestly didnt care. Does this make me a bad person? I wouldn’t think so. I also dont care who wins the state of origin, gold medals in the Olympics etc. Yes, I think they are great acheivements for the people who win them, and great for them that they were that dedicated and worked so hard to do it. They should be very proud of their hard work, and recognised for it. But, Im sorry, I just dont get that excited by the fact that someone I dont know can ride/run/swim faster than everyone else. I honestly dont think that its an unreasonable opinion – Im happy for them, but Im not over the moon excited and calling for a public holiday to bask in their greatness.
People say we give the same respect to others, but I think the comments and reactions to Mia’s piece shows her point when it comes to the view we have of sports stars in this country. If I were to say I dont care about Darren Hayes for example – an aussie guy from a bad part of Brisbane who worked his butt off to get worldwide acclaim in music – when he won an Aria award, just as one example of many, noone would be all over me saying “how dare you, He is a national hero!”. He’s “just a singer”. Or “just another celebrity”. And its just an opinion based on my taste in music. Even though he worked equally hard to get where he is in a very competitive industry. If I said he was a national hero, people would probably laugh at me. And I would accept that they just either a) werent into music/his music as much as I was and b) just didnt get why I was.
Same goes for all of the industries Mia is talking about – we recognise their achievements through awards etc, but not to the same level as sporting ‘heroes’. For some reason in this country, if your talent is physical rather than emotional or intellectual, it is considered harder work or a greater acheivement. And the virtriol surrounding Mia’s comments supports that fact.
They are inspirational to others in their sport, or aspiring sports stars, or people who love sport. The same as singers are inspirations to other singers and fans of music, and actors to other actors, and doctors to other doctors etc. They are all uber talented and work very hard, and I agree that they should be recognised for their acheivements.
But I dont think that for someone who doesnt get sports and the huge to-do surrounding them in this country to say so deserves such nastiness.
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Mia, I don’t think you have considered that the term hero has two accepted (but unfortunately undifferentiated) meanings. One is applied to sporting achievements, the other to human achievements in general. Unfortunately as a populous we don’t tend to differentiate as to our definition, when the label is applied.
I am an avid cyclist and have followed the TdF for many years (and Cadel since his MTB days). Yes, I agree, sporting heroes, on many occasions, do not warrant the label heroes to the same degree that “ordinary” heroes do, unfortunately that is at odds with the Australian paradigm. I would have thought you would have been aware of this disconnect and been extremely cautious in your announced analysis. Perhaps even been at pains to acknowledge this disconnect.
As a society we would benefit from explicitly acknowledging those to whom you would apply the label hero. Inwardly I think many would reflect similarly.
Nearly finished, IMHO you really chose a poor mark in Cadel. If you, and you may (I guess), know anything about Cadel, you would realize that perhaps the “generic” term hero does better apply to him than many other sporting “gods”.
I am saddened to see/hear that you have been abused so egregiously. Even without the benefit of hindsight it was child’s play to predict.
I understand and accept your underlying point. Suggestion, allow plenty of time for planning and contemplation next time…and tread lightly…your opinion might even gain traction.
regards and best wishes
John
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Mia, I really get where you are coming from. I think it was bad form of The Today Show to ask you to go there for THEIR benefit. The day after all that glory in Paris? Everyone is high as kites on it, of course public reaction is going to be how it was. So I think the timing is all wrong. You could probably articulate this in a month (possibly less) and you wont get that hard core, judgmental reaction. Which is very unfair on you.
From my perspective – anyone can be a hero. Some sports people are, and some are complete tools. In the same way that doctors (whoa! some of them are AWFUL), nurses, priests, community workers etc can be heroic AND utter tools!
Cadel seems to be one of the good guys. There are qualities he possesses that are utterly heroic to have won that race. His determination, never say die attitude, and the way he shouldered responsibilty to keep himself in the race – all qualities we desire in the ‘real’ world. So he has channelled all that ‘good’ for a bike race – well that is his choice as it is yours to question aspects of his elevation to hero. He possibly does not see himself in that light either.
If we didnt elevate Australian sportspeople the way we do ‘we’ would pick some other group and others would not get the acclaim they deserve. THAT is the way of the world and human nature. Sadly. I think there is an underlying sense of ‘punching above our weight’ that we just majorly get off on and the sporting world encapsulates it very well. In short, I get why everyone is delighted and think so highly of Cadel and I hate that you have been so publicly derided for having an opinion you have every right to have. Even if I disagree – I can cope with that and not take it personally.
Tomorrow is another day and ‘everyone’ will have moved on to the next outrage…
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Normally, I’d agree with you on this one Mia. I hate it when sportspeople are hailed as heroes when all they do is go fast or make something else go fast. I think many sportspeople, like many non-sportspeople, are not good role models and not heroes at all, many of them aren’t even good sports or decent people.
But I think you picked the wrong person to make your point with as Cadel does a lot more than make a bike go fast. I hope you do read up on him and what he’s done off the bike. He puts many other so-called sportpeople (Warnie, Wayne Carey, Greg Norman) to shame.
You kept pointing out that he lives in Switzerland – that’s because that’s where his work is. You also asked a couple of times if he’s saved anyone’s life. Possibly. His financial support and the weight he throws behind organisations such as the Amy Gillett Foundation have likely saved many lives.
I’ve known doctors and social workers who should never be hailed as heroes.
It’s bad that people threw abuse at you.
But it’s also a little bit bogan of you to share such an opinion (“he doesn’t even live here”) about something you admit you’re very ignorant about (he lives in Switzerland because it’s a shorter commute to work).
Your post above is a bit more articulate than your holier(and holey)-than-thou: “I don’t care; He doesn’t even live here; I mean, has he saved anyone’s life?; he’s not a doctor or a social worker” arguments that you came up with on Today.
Everyone is inspired for different reasons. Many are inspired so much by this win because it’s not been done by anyone from our country before but mainly because he’s known to be a very good person – a hero? Maybe, maybe not, but he is today. Most other days he does what he can do for things he believes in.
I hope you do a bit of reading and have a look at what Cadel has done off the bike, talk to people he’s worked with on these projects and perhaps then you will be inspired. Maybe you’ll even do something a little bit heroic yourself.
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Mia, I am a confessed sporting tragic. I watched the entire tour fro
Start to finish… However I actually agree with what you said on today show and in your blog. We need to celebrate the real heroes too…. Keep your chin up. Dont take any notice of the vitriol…..
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I have to say I agreed with your view of cadel evans this morning, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who doesnt idolise someone who has decided the play sport instead of work for a living. I really dont think you are in the minority, its just that the rest of the country are far more vocal than we ARE
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Karen perhaps it might pay to do some research in to the lifestyle of a professional cyclist before you question whether they “work” for a living.
Some might say that the physical and mental hardship that they put themselves through to earn their living consists of much more work than what most people do each day sat at a computer…which is by no means a dig at Mia or any other author/journo btw.
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karen: “…decided to play sport instead of work for a living”. You are joking. Moderator, this should be removed just for being ridiculous. Most people are not “idolising” Cadel, karen – they are celebrating an extraordinary physical feat – which he has indeed worked towards for years. Much harder than i dare say someone you and many others work. To summarise this debate in that way shows you actually have totally missed the point.
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So what is it that has changed your mind?
In this article (http://www.mamamia.com.au/news/m-when-i-was-16-i-got-my-ears-pierced-suck-on-that-jessica-watson/) from just over a year ago you wrote “Now that she has returned a hero (as she should, her achievement is astonishing)” about the achievements of a young sportswoman achieving something spectacular.
Can I ask what the difference between a 16 year old achieving one of her sporting dream by sailing around the world and a 34 achieving one of his sporting dreams by winning the Tour de France is in terms of a heroic act?
I’m by no means questioning your statement that we should elevate those who achieve great things in medical research (Pr Patrick McGorry or Dr Fiona Wood spring to mind), or do great things us as sacrificing their own lives to help others (firefighters on Black Saturday or volunteers during this year’s natural disasters), but I would like to know why one sportsperson is allowed to be considered a hero while another isn’t?
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Watch out Mikael… your comment may be deleted for making a strong point against their queen!
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If you are here just to troll the site your comments will also be deleted, just so you know how we do things at Mamamia
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The difference between 16 & 34 is that one’s an adult and one is not.
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Indeed. A child, who endangered her life potentially at large sums of tax payers expense. Who is clearly very privileged and has gone on to profit from her act which was against many peoples advice…
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Ohhhhh dear, he’s got you there Mia…
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I understand your point of view Mia and I understand the opposing view. I indeed think Cadel is as much a hero as any other idolised person. He may inspire others to strive to achieve their dreams. His win certainly gave me new enthusiasm about achieving my own dreams. His win made me feel proud that he is Australian.
I have met many people working in the other professions you listed who do their job for themselves (the fact that others benefit is a bonus). It feeds their own ego. They get paid in money, respect and stature in the community. Even volunteers get something for themselves from doing wonderful work. Helping others makes you feel good. It is also educational, gives you work experience, sometimes travel and cultural awareness, can bring new insight and compassion. It is a win win situation.
What I don’t understand is the viciousness of the flack you received. You were not offensive, unAustralian, bitchy or stupid. I hope you are feeling ok.
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Sigh. I completely agree with Mia on this one. And I can’t believe everyone is getting so aggressive about an opinion.
The sport obsessed people of this country should learn to deal with the fact not everyone feels the same way….
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This is dispiriting. Rather than being inspired such a terrific achievement to go out and do the thing that you have to offer the world, and to do it to the best of your ability (which used to be known as ‘having a go’), you choose to rip into somebody for suggesting that maybe, just maybe, sporting excellence is not the only, or primary activity of value.
I don’t recognise this country anymore.
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yes but you could apply the same sentiment to all the people abusing Mia for airing her opinion.
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That WAS directed at people abusing Mia for sharing her thoughts. Apologies if unclear.
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Mia are you for real!! Cadel does live in Australia i know this because my brother in law helped to build his house in Barwon Heads!! and he does have a house overseas cause lots of races are ova there!!! So are you saying Pat Rafter not Australian cause he had a house overseas as well!!!???
And who said Sports people are any beta than Fire Fighters or anyone else for that matter? No-one just you! Cannot you remember the photo of the Fire Fighter giving the Koala a drink of water on the front page?! Short Memeroy! We should embrace all good things that happen for/in Australia! Your the one making a gap by saying wat you said!!!!
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I remember that koala photo… It made me cry. The firefighters were/are true heroes. I still think cadel is too. A different type of hero, but a hero all the same.
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Hi Mia, don’t be too hard on yourself for what you have said. We all say things and wish we could take them back. Not that you would not stick by your conviction but more due to the backlash you have receive.. Chin up as tomorrow is another day and I’m sure the public will find someone else to cyber bully:(
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Hey Mia. I watched the segment this morning & knew straight away what you meant. It was probably because it was so early but it’s not so much what you said but how you said it. As you went on it was clear that what you want is to see people like rescue workers receive the same acknowledgments. On that – I totally agree.
I don’t take anything away from Cadel Evans as he has worked so hard to get where he is & it’s good to acknowledge this. Lets do the saeme with our rescue workers etc.
Hope tomorrow is better for you.
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It’s easier to support Mia’s position if you narrow the debate down to her questioning whether he should be called a hero or not?, If you view the segment however the issue that has got people fired up is her overall attitude towards the importance of his achievement eg She was upset at the way Karl & Co stood up for the national anthem. In the interview Carl claimed she was “ignorant about Cadel Evans” I think its more she was ignorant towards the importance of sporting achievements both for the individual and the broader community.
Her position was hard for me take this morning but just because she doesn’t get sporting achivements doesn’t make her the devil – some perspective people.
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I think your argument is a little shallow. Why can there only be one kind of hero? Of course we all understand that those who risk their lives and and who save lives are heroes – but are these the ONLY people who can be our heroes? Surely a hero is a person who has achieved something or who has traits that are meaningful, inspiring, unique, extraordinary. My mother is an ageing and frail woman now. She has saved no lives, worked regular jobs and does not distinguish herself in anyway that you would recognise. But she is MY hero – she has helped ME. Now, like it or not, many Australians identify themselves as belonging to a great sporting nation that punches above its weight. Our success on the sporting stage galvanises us and contributes to our national identity – LIKE IT OR NOT. The reality is we all have different heroes, and think your problem is in trying to define who those heroes should be, instead of recognising that for some, what Cadel Evens did was a big deal – and means a lot to them. There will be thousands of kids who will take up cycling in the next few months – all with a dream to be like their hero, Cadel Evens. Who are you to say that their notion of a hero is not valid?
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