Letters
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday March 11, 2010
Pup deserves a pat for his loyal homing instinctWhenever there is a scandal involving sportsmen behaving badly, we rightly decry the negative attitudes towards women that pervade so much of male sport.But here we have a sportsman, in Michael Clarke, who is showing the greatest respect towards the woman he loves by supporting her through a very difficult time. And what do we all do? We bag him, we threaten to withhold the captaincy from him, we make snide comments about his fiancee and paint her as the villain of the piece ("Clarke's choice: love or leadership", March 10).Peter Roebuck and many of your other commentators claim that a man must choose between his woman and his sport. But come on, guys, this isn't the 1970s. Why can't you be both a good sportsman and good fiance/husband/boyfriend? Playing a game for Australia might be important, but is it so important that you must abandon all sense of humanity and integrity towards the people around you?I'm sure Michael Clarke is acutely aware of his team responsibilities and will return to them as soon as possible. But in the meantime, he has shown great courage, maturity and leadership by demonstrating the importance of kindness and respect towards his partner. If Cricket Australia and his teammates can understand this, why can't we?Andrew O'Keefe North BondiPeter Roebuck, maturity is the issue. To suggest that relationships survived because women "did not make any extra demands" belittles the capabilities and careers of many partners. It highlights the pervasive, immature chauvinism in professional sport which too often manifests itself in scandals, abuse and sexism. Clarke demonstrates that boys chasing balls is not the be-all and end-all.Kari Lancaster Lavender BayAre all the moaning cricket tragics simply upset because Michael Clarke has the one thing they'll never have: a life?Adrian Bain St LeonardsPeter Roebuck would be a brave man to suggest his own paramour grin and bear it while he played cricket.This is not the Ashes; it's not the trenches at Gallipoli nor a landing at Normandy. A one-day international series against New Zealand was never going to be lost by the absence of the Pup. On the other hand the consequences of non-attendance at the side of one's woman-in-crisis don't bear thinking about.Peter Maresch Lane CoveI am writing out of disgust at the hammering Peter Roebuck and others are giving Michael Clarke over his decision to head home to be with his partner. I think he should be commended for putting his relationship before his career as many people get it wrong by putting work first. This seems to be especially so for men with major careers.Tiger Woods was condemned for being an awful partner (my apologies for the understatement) and within a short time Michael Clarke is being condemned for being a good partner. No wonder young men find it hard to know what is expected of them.We all espouse the work-life balance as being something that is important, but the moment someone puts their personal life before work they are hammered for it.Cricket will survive, the team will survive and Clarke and Lara Bingle's relationship will survive if this is the level of commitment he has as her partner.Jennifer Williams WahroongaPeter Roebuck has it back to front. Cricket is a game you play at your physical peak. Your family is for a lifetime.Gail Suttor Hornsby
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald
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