The standard for being a ‘good bloke’ is too low in sport
“He is a great player, a great human being,” is how Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær described Cristiano Ronaldo after his club secured the Portuguese’s return to Old Trafford after 12 years away.
It’s a curious choice of words, considering he is more than a great player, but more significant is the latter part.
Ronaldo is facing a civil case in the United States regarding the alleged rape of Kathryn Mayorga. Ronaldo and his legal team have denied the allegations.
The criminal case was dismissed as it couldn’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, however, he paid Mayorga around $500,000 AUD (approximately 10-days wages for Ronaldo at the time) to sign a non-disclosure settlement, which the current civil case filed earlier this year is looking to void.
I may be wrong, but I assume Solskjær knew of this before putting forward the glowing character reference of the 36-year-old after United edged Wolverhampton 1–0 at Molineux on Sunday.
Growing up I was an ardent United supporter and if this transfer occurred when I was 16 or 17 I would have been delirious, but knowing what I do now, the breaking news left me feeling hollow.
I felt similar in 2016 when Ronaldo lifted the European Championship trophy. Then there was also overwhelming adulation for the team being a proud Portuguese, but I would have felt greater satisfaction if someone with this shadow looming over them wasn’t leading my country.
With each passing incident, I become more disillusioned with men’s sport, usually at the professional level, but also at the grassroots (which could be a piece for another day).
The bar for being a ‘good bloke’ is too often set by the value of the individual as a sporting asset i.e. the better you are at something the worse of a person you are allowed to be and if you eventually go too far there will always be another opportunity at a rung below.
This exasperating phenomenon was evident in recent weeks at NRL side St George Illawarra Dragons when coach Anthony Griffin called Jack de Belin, “A good person and leader within our group.”
This is the same de Belin who had sexual assault charges dismissed because a jury was unable to reach a verdict in May of this year.
This is the same de Belin who within two months of the above, went to a party at a then teammate’s home when the region was in a Covid-induced lockdown and then when police arrived, he allegedly hid under a bed to avoid being caught.
If he is a leader within the Dragons, then I, as a lifelong supporter, am seriously disappointed. De Belin is a great footballer, a representative-level footballer, but a good person? I’m not convinced.
I believe I’m in the minority with this view given the flood of fandom at the return of Ronaldo and the questionable applause of de Belin when he was subbed on for his first game back.
I’ve been tweeted whataboutisms regarding other players at other teams, but this doesn’t help the discourse. Yes, often what they have done is also deplorable, however, it hurts more when it’s associated with a club or country you have been tied to since birth.
It hurts more when I see the likes of Ronaldo or de Belin doing something good for Portugal or the Dragons respectively because they aren’t earning back the faith of supporters like me, they are reminding me of why I don’t want them representing the team I love.
