It's not just about the results
In an opinion piece published on Sports Central website, South Africa's performance director Paddy Upton argues that, as cricket becomes part of the entertainment industry, one needs to ask if cricketers are sufficiently prepared for the hangovers that lurk in the shadows.
Issues like scuffles in nightclubs, drunk driving, sexual indiscretions, drug abuse, cheating and match-fixing - are sometimes driven by a celebrity's sense of being above the law, invincible, and sometimes even immortal.
"A darker shadow of the limelight is where players buy into the image of fame (...) that fans and the media create for them," Upton says, "and they begin to see themselves as superior to ordinary mortals, not only better at the skill that made them famous but also better and more important as people. They risk becoming alienated from themselves and losing touch of who they authentically are. They may struggle to be alone, uncomfortable in their own company and incapable of genuine relationships.
Cricket has plenty of known instances of depression and substance abuse, one of the highest suicide rates of all sports, and a divorce rate to match, Upton's Sports Central column says.
Read the full article on www.sportscentral.co.za
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