British Sporting heros

[ChrisPackham]

Johanna Konta has been held in high acclaim as a British sporting hero. What about the others who go unacknowledged but have achieved so much more?

Shane Warne, Michael lynah, Adam Scott, Ian Thorpe amongst other are not held in such esteem as a British sporting hero, why not?

And for that matter what about other sporting heros? Michael Jordan, Pele, Mike Tyson,...

 

[ips]

not heard of any of those, but I don't follow sport ?

 

[woody]

I'm not sure I understand the question.  Or is it just a dig that she was born in and represented Australia?  She's now a British Citizen and can represent the UK.  Nothing captures the British for a sporting hero like Wimbledon because of the decades of having nobody even near the level needed to compete. 

I would have said Warne and Lynagh were very highly respected in their chosen sports, but being team sports the focus is on the team not the individual.  Also their achievements were when?  early 90's?

 

[MJJ]

'Sporting Hero's' No such thing. You may become a legend though. IE Pele, Ali, Sir Stirling Moss, etc. Unless media and money are involved, most will go unnoticed. Much the same as GD and RF etc. Outside of the sport who knows who they are - hardly anyone. As for Konta, not exactly 'British' and just having a 'good run' at the moment - Hero she is not!

 

[ips]

re konte

I don't understand how you can represent a country you were not born in just because you lived there for a couple of years. Same with cricket and the like bringing in foreigners. I would even take it further and say that "for instance" you cannot play cricket (or whatever) for yorkshire unless you were born in Yorkshire. We as a nation lead a transient life much more than was the case hundred years ago were many folk never left the county. Now you can move freely and as such represent a different county team in most sports every year if you had a mind too.

I was born in Yorkshire its what's on my birth certificate I class myself as a Yorkshire man. I was born an Englishman again that's on my birth certificate. Sport is now all about money and nothing to do with sportsmanship and pride in your county, town, village whatever. Its all bollox and don't get me started on chav ball...

 

[Wonko the Sane]

Sport is now all about money and nothing to do with sportsmanship and pride in your county, town, village whatever. Its all bollox and don't get me started on chav ball...

Foreigners, eh?  Goes without saying the world'd be a better place if they just stayed where they belong.  I mean, they already overrun their own countries ain't that enough?