Real talk: do you care about ‘Hall of Fame’ honours? I have long been of the view that the athletes being inducted do not… so why should fans? Players play pro-sport to win trophies on the field, court, pool, track, whatever. The glory comes all sweaty after emptying the tank to claim victory. Not in a ball gown or tuxedo on stage in front of dignitaries.
And then I spoke to Mark Schwarzer this week.
The legendary Socceroos legend was one of five Aussie athletes inducted into Sport Australia’s HOF. Jason Dunstall, Cam Smith (NRL, not LIV golf), Laura Geitz and Lleytton Hewitt were the others… and I could immediately tell this was something that cut through with the big keeper.
Everyone has their favourite Australian sports moment, personally, the Socceroos 2005 World Cup qualifier win over Uruguay is my number one. A bitter back story, a long curse, a hubristic villain, a closing window of opportunity.
A penalty shootout for the future of the sport in Oz. High stakes.
At the centre of that was Schwarzer. Soooo, to get twenty minutes with him to recount that chapter, well that was sports interviewing nirvana. What I didn’t expect was an incredibly expansive and thoughtful conversation on the challenges the game is facing in Australia.
One idea raised was that while the A-League has been vital to the game in this country and an overall success, it’s also somewhat stifled the elite of the elites. He made the point that his cohort had to succeed in the biggest leagues, or it was career over. In contrast, this generation can make a good living without leaving the A-League.
This conversation is equal parts glory day nostalgia and ‘state of the game’ commentary from a literal Hall of Fame Socceroo.
