Dear Minister for Sport, The Hon. Peter Dutton,

Minister, I seriously don’t get it.  I understand that these are straitened economic times, that there is a need for the tightening of the belts, etc. I have long loved the line of Anthony Eden that “Everyone is always in favour of general economy and particular expenditure.” I get that you are in a difficult position, that not all requests for money can be satisfied. But, courtesy of the Australian Sports Commission, suddenly slashing to ZERO the money allocated to the Paralympic soccer team, the Pararoos? From a measly $175,000 allocation to begin with? At a time when the money allocated to able-bodied sport is actually increasing??

Your government can find $30 million to help Manly and the Broncos, both of which are self-sustaining businesses, but you cannot find $175K to help a bunch of crazy braves whose only business is to help themselves and inspire a younger generation? In just the past three years, governments have found $50 million for AFL and NRL respectively, while the NSW government coughed up $150 million for bloody Randwick racecourse , ALL of which are businesses unto themselves! But, $175K to proud Australian representatives playing soccer with disabilities, and the answer is, “No, get nicked.”?

Politically, I would have thought this madness. I would have thought it crystallises the worst fears on your government that you’re in it for the pin-stripes and the glory-hounds but not those who actually need government largesse? They tell me that, despite this move, you are actually a decent man. I have met you, and that was certainly my impression. So be it. This is a bad mistake by the ASC, Minister, and it is happening on your watch. Please reconsider and fix it.

I remain, etc . . .

Peter Fitz

PS. If you don’t, the rest of us will have to, while the big business sports wallow in lakes of gravy, provided by your government, while the genuinely needy sports starve. Fix it, please!

SEXUALITY SELLS

TFF wrote a piece last Sunday on the coming out of Ian Thorpe and awoke in Barcelona on Monday morning with climate change figures.

That is about 97 per cent acknowledging the obvious truth – in the case of Thorpe that it is an interesting story – while 3 per cent were spouting hysterical nonsense that the whole thing is a media beat-up.

The responses that were the most hysterical – in both senses of the word – had it that we in the media were trashing Thorpe’s right to privacy.

Really? Thorpe sells his “I am gay” story as part of a reported $500,000 deal with Channel Ten; there is a calculated leak at about 11pm on Saturday night to beat the drum that the interview is coming; every promo focuses on the gay aspect of the interview . . . and yet it is the media invading Thorpe’s privacy!

I stand by every word of my column, including lightly calling Thorpe out for telling porky-pies in his autobiography, This is Me. No it wasn’t you, Ian. On the sexuality issue it was an out and out fabrication, and if you are going to take $30 from the public on the promise that this book tells the true story of who I am, you are beholden to tell the truth – or ignore the whole issue altogether. Apart from that, bloody well good on you, seriously, and may you live a long, happy and fulfilled life.    

USE YOUR HEADS, FIFA

Yes, yes, yes I know that the soccer World Cup Final is the highest form of sporting life on earth, but one thing  in the just completed story was particularly surprising.

For you’d think, wouldn’t you, that a sport at the very prow of professionalism would have a concussion protocol worthy of the name? And yet, not a bit of it . . .  I cite what happened in the 14^th minute of the final, when German midfielder Christoph Kramer, got caught as the meat in a slamming Argentinian sandwich, and took a very heavy head knock, going down like a sack of spuds.

Surely, it is obvious he must go off? But no – watched by hundreds of millions of kids and their coaches around the world, taking their cues about how to treat brain injury in sport – he “shakes it off,” and is up and at em again . . . only to go down again in the 32^nd minute. This time, he simply couldn’t shake it off, and has to be physically assisted to leave the field.

“I can’t really remember much of the game,” the 23-year-old midfielder told German paper Die Welt. “I don’t know anything at all about the first half. I thought later that I left the game immediately after the tackle. I have no idea how I got to the changing rooms. I don’t know anything else. In my head, the game starts from the second half.”

Actually, in his head, his brain was bleeding, as he had clearly suffered serious trauma. The worst of it is, the treatment this trauma received – none, just get back out there, son, as we have a game to win and your mental health don’t really count – was not an aberration, but absolutely consistent with other head-knocks throughout the World Cup. An article by Mike Hayes on buzzfeed.com this week noted the two other most notable examples:

* Argentina’s Javier Mascherano got knocked out in the semi against Netherlands, but came back on.

* Uruguay’s Alvaro Pereira actually fully lost consciousness in the match against England, but came back from the land of Nod to play the rest of the match.

What is going on? How stupid is it on every level, for FIFA to display in its showpiece tournament such appalling disregard for the well-being of its players?

What They Said

Ian Thorpe to Sir Michael Parkinson. “I’m not straight . . . I’ve wanted to [come out] for some time, but I couldn’t, I didn’t feel as though I could. The problem was, I was asked at such a young age about my sexuality.”

Thorpe on why he lied about it in his autobiography This is Me: “What happened was, I felt that the lie had become so big that I didn’t want people to question my integrity and a little bit of ego comes into this. I didn’t want people to think that I had lied about everything.”

Ian Thorpe’s father, Ken: “God loves Ian and we love Ian unconditionally and we will support him. It was a shock because we never had any inclination that Ian was that way inclined . . .”

Former AFL footballer and commentator Brian Taylor, could not have picked a worse day in the last 10 years to makes this comment on live television: “I don’t know whether you guys down there can hear me or not. I am up here getting ready for the game and I’ve just seen that crap from Harry [Taylor] — he’s a big poofter.”

Swans chairman Andrew Pridham after Eddie McGuire criticised John Longmire for not wanting to be the Australian assistant coach: “It is a crazy world when Eddie McGuire is not content with just running the AFL, he’s now protecting our national interest. I can’t help but see a comparison between Eddie's patriotism and protection of the national interest and the fact Clive Palmer is currently dominating the political agenda in Australia.” Is it me? The connection is not immediately apparent to me.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling in court: “Make no mistake today, I will never, ever, sell this team. Until I die, I will be suing the NBA.”

French cyclist Christophe Bassons on Australian cyclists in the Tour de France, back in the day: “Australian cyclists have never spoken out about doping. Why? There are two possible reasons: either they were doping and they couldn’t say. In that case, they were cheats like the others. Or they weren’t doping and they didn’t support me or say anything because of selfishness and to keep their job: in that case, they were cowards. There were no athletes who didn’t dope or didn’t know that doping was happening.”

Asked if he believed the current Tour de France is clean Bassons said: “Even today, cyclists ride as quickly at the end of Tour de France as at the beginning of Tour de France. Is that normal? Cyclists with very little muscle are very powerful. Is that normal?”

Darius Boyd on his latest run-in with the press: “I’ve had too many run-ins, with bad stories . . . I know it is part of the game, but I don’t like it.” Darius, bring it in tight. Your salary depends on public interest. The media, for all its sins, helps deliver and service that public interest. A bare beginning of your duty to the game that has provided you millions, thus, is base-level courteous engagement. Got it? Good. Get on with it. And stop being such a rude turd.

Brazil player Fred, who was jeered by home fans during the World Cup, has had enough of the national team: “I am finished with [it]. We were not good in the last two games. But no single person was responsible for that. What I can say is that it was not only Fred's fault.”

Neymar on his injury suffered during the World Cup: “God blessed me.  If it had been another two centimetres I could be in a wheelchair today.” Such a shame, yes, Neymar, that your God didn’t love those who did end up in wheelchairs?

Newcastle Knight, Alex McKinnon, settling into care at a Sydney hospital: “I want to walk again. As much as I would love to get home and get back to my family and get back to Newcastle and get on with my life I want to walk again. I'm 22 and I'm going to give it my best shot.”

Team of the Week

Ian Thorpe. Did his bit this week to slay the Hydra-headed monster of bigotry in Australia, by coming out as gay. Bravo.

Germany.  Nailed their fourth World Cup, over an unlucky Argentina, 1-0.

Rollers. Australia defended their Wheelchair Basketball World title defeating USA in the final in Incheon. But will their funding continue?

Waratahs. Have the week off as a home-semi final awaits. Go, you bloody blue beauties. 

Alastair Cook. As Joe the Cameraman might say: lately . . . can’t bat, can’t captain, can’t field but he can bowl, taking a wicket against India.

Joe Root and Jimmy Anderson. Broke the 10^th-wicket partnership record with a stand of 198 for England against India.

Volleyroos. Into the final of the World League after they got past France and the Netherlands.

Lachlan “Blocker” Stace. The prop has played his 200^th senior game for the mighty Lennox Head Trojans rugby team. Bravo. (But a quiet word of warning, Blocker. At the rate of a try a year, they’re starting to suspect the truth: you are a back in disguise. Be careful. They might be on to you. Try not to shower for a few weeks.) 

Vintage Crop. 1993 Melbourne Cup, has died at the age of 27. I gather when you’re a horse and you win the Melbourne Cup, you get to live on? What happens to the so-so ones? Is it appalling?

Eamon Sullivan. Former holder of the 50m and 100m freestyle world records retired due to shoulder injuries. Won one individual Olympic medal – yet one more Australian swimmer whose domination of the sport didn’t quite convert to Olympic gold.

The Literacy for Life Foundation. The program to improve literacy in Aboriginal adults is being rolled out across Australia, led by the Penny Panthers. Read today’s Good Weekend magazine.

Lleyton Hewitt. Won the Hall of Fame title, his second title of the year.

 Beecroft Rugby Club. Their Back to Beecroft Day is on today, at Headen Park, celebrating past and present players. Kids under 12 receive a free sausage sandwich with any drinks purchase and there will also be an Unfashionable on the Field contest with prizes for the worst dressed.

Twitter: @Peter_Fitz