Jimmy Cowan Should be Fired

"...Cowan was arrested outside the One Blue Dog bar in Esk Street in Invercargill about 4am on Sunday and spent several hours in custody." - www.stuff.co.nz

www.stuff.co.nz reports on the verdict of the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU)...

"The New Zealand Rugby Union today demanded halfback Jimmy Cowan stop drinking as a condition of his ongoing employment. The All Black was also fined and ordered to seek alcohol counselling after three charges have been laid for disorderly behaviour in recent weeks."

Halfback Jimmy Cowan, The All Blacks

Family First responds to the situation, asking the question "who should we look to as role models?"...

“Our traditional approach to role models has been based on status, position or job – a sporting star, being on television, on radio, an actor/actress, a high public profile etc, but we should be defining role models to our young people based on the strength of character.”

The general consensus of those calling for Jimmy Cowan to be dropped from the All Blacks appears to be that since the halfback is a role model (particularly) for the young boys of New Zealand, we should set an example. Well, I agree; we should set an example. However, it is not Cowan's fault that the next generation of New Zealand's men look to him as one of their role models. He is just a man, and we all slip up now and then - some worse than others.

I remember the outrage when the news came out that Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe would be acting nude in a London stage play entitled Equus, which came out early 2007. Below is a quote from this article...

“The London Daily Mail quoted from letters written to Radcliffe's fan sites. "We as parents feel Daniel should not appear nude. Our nine-year-old son looks up to him as a role model. We are very disappointed and will avoid the future movies he makes," one parent wrote. ”

Parents should not be encouraging/allowing their children to treat these professionals as their role models - whether they be in the sports industry or hollywood. There is the occasional person that shines through the smoke of the often debauched and immoral group of celebrities who have surely evolved into a new Western aristocracy. However, wouldn't it be better if children were encouraged by their parents to look back at their family tree, and to read of the heroism for instance, of their great grandfather in World War Two.

Sadly, today there are too few heroes.

Back to Jimmy Cowan. The reason he should be fired is not that he happens to be looked upon as a role-model by some. It is because he is representing his country, New Zealand in a series of international rugby games. By letting him continue on with the All Blacks as they have, the NZRU is saying loud and clear...

"Yeah, this is New Zealand, we don't really care who we let represent us in international sport".