Ok this is going be the oddest call I have ever made.
While I don’t agree with Luke Watsons comments that have come to light over the weekend, I do think we should hold off on passing judgment until the truth (in whatever form) is revealed. There is no doubt that on the face of it Watsons comments were out of order, private or not. When you represent a brand no matter how much you dislike it – bad mouthing it in a semi-public environment is not on.
However, it is quite clear that like the rest of the country at this time, there is a lot of politicking going on in rugby and it has to be said that whoever released these comments to the press may have the “other” sides agenda to push. The press has become a tremendous and powerful weapon in this country, where rumor and hearsay can do huge damage very quickly. His comments were obviously released for a reason – there is no doubt that our reaction is exactly what was wanted. Our emotions are being played on here and we have to be cautious of overreacting in a way that makes us look like puppets. There are always two sides and anything Watson says that is remotely catalytic will make headlines.
Of course we are up in arms – its inflammatory stuff! But let’s just wait and hear from the Watson camp.
I am not a fan of his – I do believe that the Watsons may hold too much of a sway in rugby circles and are possibly fighting a fight that goes beyond equality and representation in rugby. It would not be a big step to believe that there are very personal issues involved in these regular spats.
However for a change lets all take a deep a breath and not get sucked into media hype. I work in it and I know. What is hype today makes cash today however there will be a new headline tomorrow to make new cash.
1 comment:
Nice post. My view (and this might be stating the obvious) is that Watson is a very confident guy who has been raised to say what he feels and stand up for what he believes in.
He may have used the wrong words or be out-of-line (criticising his employer), but that's truely what he believes.
Blurting it out may have been the wrong thing to do, but no-one can say his thoughts and feelings are wrong, after all this is South Africa, where the right to freedom of speech is protected...right Zapiro?
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