In her latest post for HoR2, Kate McEvoy examines the current Campese kerfuffle…
Occasionally an issue arises on the internetz that allows me to sigh, dust down the auld soapbox and mouth off to my heart's content. So David Campese, you goose-stepping World Cup hero you, I salute you. My Christmas has come early.
So Campo, may I call you Campo? David, if you insist, let's get this ball rolling. First things first, in case anyone is unaware this week the man himself tweeted the following missive: "Why does the smh get a girl to write about rugby. Growden who was a great jornio and now we have someone who has no idea about the game". The "girl" in question is Georgina Robinson, who has recently replaced the long-serving Greg Growden as the Sydney Morning Herald's rugby correspondent. Unsurprisingly, this comment has attracted worldwide attention and no shortage of derision. David, in the words of former Wallaby winger Wendell Sailor, it's 2012 champ.
Before we continue down this road, let's take a moment to appreciate how great David Pocock is. Rugby fans are aware on his feral skills at the breakdown, his rampant athleticism, and the fact his biceps are roughly the size of baby whales. A finalist for Young Australian of the Year in 2012 he began his ascent to rugby greatness a mere 3 years after escaping from the turmoil of Mugabe's Zimbabwe. In addition to publicly speaking out about his eating disorder and raising awareness on the issue he works tireless for his charitable foundation, Eightytwenty Vision, which works to improve the lives of the sick and the poor in his native country. The projects focus on health care for HIV and AIDS sufferers, education for children, food and water security, and human rights. Furthermore, he and his partner, Emma Palandri have done a Brad & Ange by announcing they would not be getting married until gay people in Australia have the right to do the same. Seriously, if you look out the window in Western Australia, you can probably see him flying by with his cape flapping in the breeze.
So when David Pocock calls out your behaviour, he probably has a point. The erstwhile Wallaby captain has this to say in response to Campese's tweet. “Really sad to see journos attacked based on their gender. Or a grown woman referred to as a ‘girl’ #destroyingthejoint,”. Unsurprisingly, Pocock's hit the nail on the head here, with quite the hashtag to boot. I have no idea what kind of writer Georgina Robinson is. I haven't read her work. I'm not fully immersed in the Australian rugby environment. To paraphrase Evelyn Beatrice Hall, I've no idea what you said but I'll defend to the death your right to say it. Robinson's gender is no more relevant to what she writes than Growden's was. By all means disagree with what she has to say based on fact and opinion not her chromosomal make-up. The same goes for any individual writing on any issue. There's really not a lot else to say on that topic.
That is until Campese came up with his response to being called out on being, in the words of Judi Dench, a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. His clarification was as follows 'I was trying to say is that the coach is under pressure and sometimes males give it to the coach as some females go a lot easier on them." I'm going to move away from the fact that no-one, Campese included, is an authority as to what constitutes typical male & female behavior (Holy Sweeping Generalizations Batman!) and move towards an issue that is becoming more and more prevalent in the rugby media, the pushing of agendas.
Campese has been a vocal opponent of Australia coach, the beleagured Robbie "Dingo" Deans. Now David, what's happened here is you've been caught rapid saying something stupid. And while the attention is on you, you are trying to tangentially associate said-stupid thing with your own band wagon. I fail to see what Georgina Robinson's gender has to do with a lack of Wallaby attacking flair you so bemoan. I am interested in what you have to say on that subject, preferably with slightly less comedic flailing about the place. Please try again.
This seems to be a fairly widespread phenomenon at the moment, albeit with less of a knee-jerk reaction as demonstrated by Campese. It appears that Kidney's treatment of Mike Ross both in the media and on the pitch has more to do with sending out a message as to who picks the team rather than a specific issue with the player. Gatland's recent censure of Chris Robshaw and French-based players seems to be setting up English rugby fans for a disappointment, throwing his support behind Sam Warburton and putting the frighteners on the Welsh diaspora, all over 6 months out from the Lions tour. This does not seem to be a sporting way of doing business but in the shifting rugby landscape, where the clamor of voices is getting louder and more fragmented the hypodermic needle model of media distribution doesn't cut it anymore. you're going to say one thing and mean another. In short, you're going to find different ways to disseminate your agenda.
Back to the specific matter at hand. The whole affair throws up some interesting issues, regarding both social media and rugby. Firstly, and pay attention here David, deleting something you have published on a public platform does not make it go away. This is something that has been repeatedly reiterated across a whole spectrum of issues but apparently bears repeating. If you say it you're stuck with it.
This has also got me thinking about a wider issue which ties two of my previous points together - the right to free speech with the indestructible nature of online published opinion. If you are well-known in whatever field, how do you reconcile a desire and a right for free speech with the fact anything you tweet has the potential to follow you around like a bad smell?
In the Twitter age, a whim crosses your mind, you iterate it, it's out there, it's gone. Such is the case for average bears such as you and I. It might be an opinion you subsequently change or is proven to be factually inaccurate. It might be you on a bad day, at a weak moment. You might say something you later regret. And unless it's blatantly illegal or baiting a celebrity you'll probably hear no more about it. However this does not apply equally to all Twitter users.
So from a rugby perspective how do outspoken figures such as Campese, Brian Moore or Nigel Owens balance broadcasting their own opinions with this state of affairs? I don't have an answer for this one but I do think the Twittersphere would be a poorer place without them. Campo, I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. But if you could find a way of voicing displeasure based on fact rather than prejudice and push your agenda without resorting to sensation I'd have a lot more respect for your opinions. And I hope my gender doesn't preclude you from listening to mine.
Kate McEvoy : Munster fan in a sea of Leinster blue. Raised on a strict diet of Bective Rangers. Earliest childhood memory is stud marks in the muck. Former hooker for a father & a mother with an eye for a forward pass bordering on freakish . Often to be found down Monkstown RFC/ A & E on account of the exploits of the better half. Best rugby memory, Toulouse main square, May 24th 2008. Epitaph will read “Knew a lot about rugby for a girl.” Can be found tweeting optimistically at @ImKateMc
