giddyup87
Proud Member
Coach on an AFL team (Port Adelaide) in Australia
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/80596/default.aspx
By Mark Williams
6:14 AM Tue 14 July, 2009
I HAVE always loved Michael Jackson. I went to two of his concerts - one up in Brisbane years ago and one at the MCG in 1996 - and I still have the ticket stubs.
For the Melbourne show I thought I’d treat myself, my wife Pauline and my one child (at the time) and get front row tickets. It was just amazing.
For me, Michael Jackson was the best entertainer there has ever been and I think there are some lessons we in the football world can learn from his life and also his death.
On the two occasions I saw Michael in concert, I went with an open mind wondering if this guy could actually deliver on all the hype.
Often I’ve thought about the same concept in football.
As a footballer you have your supporters and you play against different oppositions in different towns, always with that one opportunity to shine.
Looking at the concert schedule Michael had coming up it was obvious that he was again putting himself on the line in regards to whether or not he could live up to the picture people had built of him in their minds.
We’re all very critical on people who can’t deliver - at any time - but he was able to do it for years.
In both sport and entertainment you have to be right on the night.
You can’t come up with excuses, because people won’t cop it. They’ve paid their money and you actually have to get out there and do the job.
The ability to deliver - whether we’re talking about Michael Jackson or a sportsperson - is all about practise, getting it right and making sure you can do it in all conditions.
I also loved Michael’s energy and if there was one thing I haven’t done that I would love to do in my life it would be to dance like him… or even just be in the chorus.
I love to dance and when the ‘Thriller’ film clip came out I remember trying to teach the kids at Scoresby High all his moves.
I even contemplated buying a red leather jacket to add to my wardrobe and tried my hand at moonwalking… don’t tell me you haven’t tried it.
Michael was almost exactly the same age as me, so I’ve grown up watching him from afar and thinking about how he presents himself and what his lifestyle is like.
We talk sometimes about the media harassment of coaches or players.
We also talk about the adulation the players receive these days and how they cope.
People close to him would say that being in the spotlight contributed to his death.
He wasn’t able to live a life. He put masks on his kids, so they weren’t affected.
No one knew what the kids looked like, so they could actually go out in public and have some sort of life. That just shows you how much it affected him.
Our players, obviously, never get to that stage, but there are still lessons to be learned in terms of how we drive people to the edge.
Ben Cousins and Wayne Carey are probably two players that have been pushed to that sort of stage by the public and the media recently.
If we can take anything from Michael’s death it might be that we need to take a measured approach and understand that everyone needs some space.
I, like many, have also admired his role as an African-American in the community.
He opened the hearts and minds of racist people throughout the world and encouraged them to let the black guys in. I think the AFL has also been outstanding in that regard.
At Michael’s memorial, you had guys like Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson - big guys who are world famous - stand up and say that Michael was their hero.
I talked to our players about Michael’s death and some of them were deeply affected.
The players, especially our indigenous guys, acknowledge that Michael’s role in breaking down barriers was significant for them as well.
He gave them the opportunity to say ‘hey we can be great and there’s nothing we can’t do’.
Whether it is entertainment, music or sport - there are so many ways to reach into people’s hearts and he’ll certainly be remembered.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/80596/default.aspx
By Mark Williams
6:14 AM Tue 14 July, 2009
I HAVE always loved Michael Jackson. I went to two of his concerts - one up in Brisbane years ago and one at the MCG in 1996 - and I still have the ticket stubs.
For the Melbourne show I thought I’d treat myself, my wife Pauline and my one child (at the time) and get front row tickets. It was just amazing.
For me, Michael Jackson was the best entertainer there has ever been and I think there are some lessons we in the football world can learn from his life and also his death.
On the two occasions I saw Michael in concert, I went with an open mind wondering if this guy could actually deliver on all the hype.
Often I’ve thought about the same concept in football.
As a footballer you have your supporters and you play against different oppositions in different towns, always with that one opportunity to shine.
Looking at the concert schedule Michael had coming up it was obvious that he was again putting himself on the line in regards to whether or not he could live up to the picture people had built of him in their minds.
We’re all very critical on people who can’t deliver - at any time - but he was able to do it for years.
In both sport and entertainment you have to be right on the night.
You can’t come up with excuses, because people won’t cop it. They’ve paid their money and you actually have to get out there and do the job.
The ability to deliver - whether we’re talking about Michael Jackson or a sportsperson - is all about practise, getting it right and making sure you can do it in all conditions.
I also loved Michael’s energy and if there was one thing I haven’t done that I would love to do in my life it would be to dance like him… or even just be in the chorus.
I love to dance and when the ‘Thriller’ film clip came out I remember trying to teach the kids at Scoresby High all his moves.
I even contemplated buying a red leather jacket to add to my wardrobe and tried my hand at moonwalking… don’t tell me you haven’t tried it.
Michael was almost exactly the same age as me, so I’ve grown up watching him from afar and thinking about how he presents himself and what his lifestyle is like.
We talk sometimes about the media harassment of coaches or players.
We also talk about the adulation the players receive these days and how they cope.
People close to him would say that being in the spotlight contributed to his death.
He wasn’t able to live a life. He put masks on his kids, so they weren’t affected.
No one knew what the kids looked like, so they could actually go out in public and have some sort of life. That just shows you how much it affected him.
Our players, obviously, never get to that stage, but there are still lessons to be learned in terms of how we drive people to the edge.
Ben Cousins and Wayne Carey are probably two players that have been pushed to that sort of stage by the public and the media recently.
If we can take anything from Michael’s death it might be that we need to take a measured approach and understand that everyone needs some space.
I, like many, have also admired his role as an African-American in the community.
He opened the hearts and minds of racist people throughout the world and encouraged them to let the black guys in. I think the AFL has also been outstanding in that regard.
At Michael’s memorial, you had guys like Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson - big guys who are world famous - stand up and say that Michael was their hero.
I talked to our players about Michael’s death and some of them were deeply affected.
The players, especially our indigenous guys, acknowledge that Michael’s role in breaking down barriers was significant for them as well.
He gave them the opportunity to say ‘hey we can be great and there’s nothing we can’t do’.
Whether it is entertainment, music or sport - there are so many ways to reach into people’s hearts and he’ll certainly be remembered.
