The hypocrisy with which we judge our sporting heroes borders on the ridiculous

A couple of days ago, Manchester United and England centre back Harry Maguire was caught up in a bar-brawl while on holiday in Greece. He isn’t alone. People his age and means tend to get caught up in all kinds of naughty behaviour from time to time.

Sometimes, it really gets out of hand, but this appears to have been a minor disagreement that ended in a fist fight. It should have ended there and then but for the poor judgment of all parties concerned.

And as is common in these days of instant information where everything is quick and amplified, the court of public opinion aided by a media eager to keep up, has already passed spur-of-the-moment verdicts informed by social media foraging for bits and spewing out fallacies.

From all this, I get the sense that both the public and the media expect sports heroes to be role models and Harry Maguire has lost his England place because he didn’t act in a becoming manner.

Now, upright society shouldn’t condone rogue conduct. However, that doesn’t mean it should pin up every offense as a reminder card of how not to behave. We seem to be saying, don’t these young men understand the responsibilities that come with their standing and that they are supposed to act in a commendable manner?

That is the message here or was back in 2011, when we booted David Obua out of the Cranes camp on the eve of a critical Africa Cup of Nations qualifier versus Kenya.
The exact details of what happened in Greece or the Cranes camp we may never know. I suspect, though, that the answer lies somewhere between intentional mischief and unfortunate accidents.

A 27-year-old superstar can find themselves on either side, but I still don’t think that the matter should be held hostage by the ‘hero-status’ of those involved.
One hopes the truth does eventually come out but as we wait anyone expecting a 27-year-old to provide an example is not only mistaken but also a hypocrite. We shouldn’t use fame to judge as if it were curse.
How could we?

Aren’t we the very public that sets them up on the pedestal? Don’t we know that the center corrupts more than it humbles? Haven’t we seen our heroes move from humility to vanity and then above censure because we told them they were the best? We are accomplices. How then can we blame them for believing the hype?

Of course, there should be consequences for acting like a spoilt brat even if you are Harry Maguire or David Obua. I just happen to think that the punitive measures we then device are driven by unrealistic expectations we place upon our heroes.

That is as wrong as is expecting my son to pick examples of good behaviour from David Obua or any sporting hero, for that matter. The responsibility of providing such examples should be mine as opposed to some star who happens to be a causality of the cruel hand of fate.

Flashback

Uganda only needed to beat Kenya to exorcise three decades of Afcon hoodoo. The match at Namboole stadium on October 8, 2011, was considered a foregone conclusion. David Obua then protested President Museveni’s visit to the team camp by walking out on him. He was expelled from camp, fans didn’t care until Arnold Origi refused to concede.

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