Try this exercise. Take your first and last names, put a ‘the’ in front of them and a ‘brand’ at the end. See if you can say those four words without sounding like a tosser. Can’t do it, right? Now look at this announcement made last month by the world’s third highest paid athlete. Long…
Tag: Ray Rice
Men say the darndest things about women’s sport
Foul Play: Edition 5 The FIFA Women’s World Cup has been a cracking tournament and a revelation for many sports fans. It has also been an invitation, apparently, for some pretty base commentary about women’s sporting abilities. On ESPN, for instance, Stephen A. Smith had a theory as to why Germany’s defenders failed to stop a…
The assault we all saw that never happened
Foul Play: Edition 4 We’ve all seen the footage. First there was the video of the star footballer dragging his fiancee from a casino elevator and dropping her on the carpet like a sack of spuds. Weeks later, we were shown what transpired in the elevator, the thrust of Ray Rice’s fist that rendered Janay…
When women fight back
Amid all of the leadership tensions last week, the Australian Government made one really excellent decision. It banned Floyd Mayweather from entering the country. The decision came just days after Rosie Batty, of whom domestic violence has extracted an unimaginable toll, was named Australian of the Year. And it followed a petition by Angela Burrows,…
The line between news and voyeurism
Twenty-four hours beforehand, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation had public opinion on its side in the wake of Government-imposed budget cuts. Then Phil Hughes, playing a Sheffield Shield match for South Australia and vying for selection in the Australian Test cricket team, was hit in the head by a fast delivery. As he was airlifted to…
Ray Rice not his wife’s only abuser
Had it not been for some timely video footage, Ray Rice would now be free to play for the Baltimore Ravens. Fans would be lining up to buy his shirt and get his autograph. News website TMZ put an end to those plans. It released footage of Rice knocking out his now wife Janay in…
Let’s hit the replay button
I’m revisiting some earlier blog posts today to catch up on a few recent developments. And because I couldn’t choose just one. A bit like the dilemma I face any time I’m offered a box of Cadbury Favourites. Total nutbag Our recent tale of Troy and his masochistic approach to endurance sport prompted a wave of…
“I don’t condone violence against women… but…”
“Now look, I don’t condone violence against women…” When someone says those words, it’s a good idea to brace yourself for some idiocy to follow. Because all too often, they don’t stop there. There’s a pause, then a ‘but’, then the insertion of a size 12 foot in an equally large gob. There has been…
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