Welcome to The Debate, where the Mercury sport team discusses the big issues in Illawarra, national and international sport. This week, sports editor TIM BARROW and sports writer JORDAN WARREN look at the Commonwealth Games, the region's remarkable success and whether Emma McKeon, for all her gold medals, should be making international headlines for her relationship with former pop star Cody Simpson.
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Barrow: Waking up on Tuesday to see Berry's Tinka Easton has won judo gold has put a spring in my step. Blake Govers, Flynn Ogilvie and Grace Stewart are marching to hockey gold with the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos, Jess Hull is a genuine chance in the 1500m, if she has recovered from COVID and there is still plenty more to come from Emma McKeon, who just happens to now be the greatest of all time. Can we officially declare the Illawarra the best sporting region in the world, universe and Commonwealth, Jordan?
Warren: I am right in agreement with you Tim. The Illawarra has always had a rich history of producing an array of world-class athletes from all different sports. It is hard not to be biased but the results speak for themselves. Hopefully there are more Illawarra gold medal winners before the Games are done. I do want to chat about this 'love triangle' situation though, Tim. McKeon of course used to be in a relationship with Kyle Chalmers, her 4x100m freestyle relay teammate, but now is with former pop star Cody Simpson, who is also a member of the Australian team. All three of the athletes have played down any rift going on between them, but do you really think this situation is real news or not Tim?
Barrow: Whether her relationship with Simpson and any friction with Chalmers is news is an age-old argument about the media's role. I first interviewed Emma more than a decade ago and she has always been friendly, but never comfortable in the spotlight. Most athletes who are superstars of their sport carry an ego and a swagger about them, it comes with having the talent to back it up. Emma is the most understated person I've ever met. But there's another layer to it. Commonwealth Games athletes are not high-paid professionals like footballers. They generally want increased exposure, because it generates increased funding and makes them more marketable. But with exposure comes scrutiny, especially at a Commonwealth or Olympic Games, when journalists aren't there just to cover swimming, but whatever the news of the day might be. That news, which is currently the fixation on McKeon's private life, attracts readers and viewers to websites, newspapers and television sets.
So while a lot of people are complaining about the intrusion, a lot of other people are reading about it at the same time. Especially when McKeon's boyfriend happens to be a pop star turned Games swimmer, who has 4.6 million followers on Instagram.
The interview McKeon and Simpson did on Seven before the Games was heavily managed in terms of messaging. She's no longer available just to call when back in Wollongong, everything now goes through the agency which represents her. So there are fewer opportunities for wholesome local coverage like there once was.
In contrast, UFC champion Alex Volkanovski still makes himself regularly available, regardless of his rise in profile on the world stage. As a sports editor, I couldn't care less about the drama out of the pool, when we also have the chance to celebrate a Wollongong athlete who is now the greatest Australian Olympics and Commonwealth Games athlete of all time. We're working in a region where people know Emma and are deeply invested in her success. While we've addressed the issue around the swimming team dynamic involving Simpson, McKeon and Chalmers, we've also deliberately focussed on Emma cementing her place in Australian sporting history. You're from a younger generation than me though, Jordan. When I started my career the millennium bug was threatening to ruin society as we know it. These days it's all Instagram and Tik Tok, while us Generation X types are all grumpy and middle-aged on Facebook and Twitter. Does an old fashioned celebrity love triangle capture the interest of Millennials?
Warren: You are right Tim, these days stories can be more away from the actual field, court, or in this case, pool than they perhaps should be and do seem to get a lot of the spotlight more so than the actual sport. News these days is instant. Apps such as Instagram and Tik Tok do seem to shorten the attention span of the average viewer and when stories break like McKeon's relationship, it does capture the attention of the younger generations because it provides that instant gratification. Athletes are judged for their actions both on and off the field and as a result they will always be in the spotlight due to their position of power within society whether they like it or not. Whichever way you look at it, athletes need to be prepared for their personal life to be assessed and they need to prepare accordingly, because they are the role models for the future generations.
Barrow: It's an interesting point you make about instant news. How people respond to media also shapes how people in the media report. There's less light, shade and nuance. Even this column, as a debate or conversation, is a rarity in itself these days, just trying to have a broader chat about the context of an issue. The bottom line is Emma McKeon is the Illawarra's greatest ever athlete and she should be celebrated. The rest is a sideshow. Where do you see the Commonwealth Games as an event? I grew up with it highly regarded as a super important part of the four-year cycle, in between each Olympic Games. But the push for an Australian republic continues to bubble away and aside from England and Canada, few nations seem to be able to compete with those in green and gold. Does it still have the same relevance?
Warren: I think the Games still have great relevance. Despite the fact that Australia do generally dominate, like they have so far this year in Birmingham, that doesn't take away from the fact that our athletes train their whole lives for moments like these, to win gold on the world stage. All Australians competing at the Games can do is perform the best they can, even if that means the competition is a little less competitive than say the Summer Olympics.