Poor old Rory McIlroy eh? Just when he thought 2013 couldn’t get worse for him along comes “ashes gate”
Now to any one outside the UK or Australia this is not really a story.
At a press conference at the Australian Open a reporter asked Rory who he wanted to win the Ashes Rory replied “Anyone but England isn’t it”
That was all the English media needed to get ripped into him.
Now if you are reading this stateside you may be wondering “what the hell are the ashes??”. Well its what England and Australia play for at cricket.
Now Rory is Northern Irish, not English.
Ireland have their own cricket team, Irish cricket, like Irish rugby and golf, is the whole of Ireland, north and south, so why would Rory have any affiliation to the English cricket team?
If Kevin Streelman had been asked the same question and gave the same reply would it have even been a story?
If you asked Adam Scott when England played the All Blacks at rugby the week before who he was supporting what do you think he would have said?? Could you imagine an Australian supporting New Zealand? Because I cant.
Several years ago Andy Murray got himself in trouble at a Wimbledon press conference when asked who he was supporting in the football world cup he said “Anyone but England”. Like Rory is at the moment Andy got crucified by the English press.
Why should Andy or Rory support England in any sport? Neither are English?
But I can guarantee both supported the British and Irish Lions when we bet Australia this year.
I am Scottish, do I hate the English? No. Could I support England in a world cup? Never in a month of Sundays! I will plead the Alex Ferguson defence in that one.
There is an expectance by the English media if you are from the UK that you are expected to support England if your country is not competing!
And here lies the reason for our “non support”, its not England or English teams, it’s the English media.
Last year at Wimbledon “Briton’s” Andy Murray won Wimbledon, amazingly it was “Scotland’s” Andy Murray in previous years when he got knocked out!
Its been that way for years, athletics, F1 you name it, you win your British you lose your Scots, Northern Irish or Welsh. But if your English and you win you remain English.
Any sports fan from Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland know exactly what I mean, if your English chances are you may have never noticed.
But yet our four nations and Ireland can come together and support the Lions.
I have a lot of English mates who genuinely hate Germany, but they all cheered when Martin Kaymer holed the putt to seal the Ryder Cup in Chicago, but would they support Germany in a World Cup final ?
Perhaps Rory would have been better served if he had simply dodged the question, but trust me if Rory had said England can you imagine the stick he would have got back home? Not only from his mates but politically.
And lets not lose Northern Irish politics in this.
Rory says England then he is suddenly a Unionist and it all turns political, don’t you think ?
Perhaps its in everyone’s best interests if we all look upon the comment for what it was, tongue in cheek.
Now to any one outside the UK or Australia this is not really a story.
At a press conference at the Australian Open a reporter asked Rory who he wanted to win the Ashes Rory replied “Anyone but England isn’t it”
That was all the English media needed to get ripped into him.
Now if you are reading this stateside you may be wondering “what the hell are the ashes??”. Well its what England and Australia play for at cricket.
Now Rory is Northern Irish, not English.
Ireland have their own cricket team, Irish cricket, like Irish rugby and golf, is the whole of Ireland, north and south, so why would Rory have any affiliation to the English cricket team?
If Kevin Streelman had been asked the same question and gave the same reply would it have even been a story?
If you asked Adam Scott when England played the All Blacks at rugby the week before who he was supporting what do you think he would have said?? Could you imagine an Australian supporting New Zealand? Because I cant.
Several years ago Andy Murray got himself in trouble at a Wimbledon press conference when asked who he was supporting in the football world cup he said “Anyone but England”. Like Rory is at the moment Andy got crucified by the English press.
Why should Andy or Rory support England in any sport? Neither are English?
But I can guarantee both supported the British and Irish Lions when we bet Australia this year.
I am Scottish, do I hate the English? No. Could I support England in a world cup? Never in a month of Sundays! I will plead the Alex Ferguson defence in that one.
There is an expectance by the English media if you are from the UK that you are expected to support England if your country is not competing!
And here lies the reason for our “non support”, its not England or English teams, it’s the English media.
Last year at Wimbledon “Briton’s” Andy Murray won Wimbledon, amazingly it was “Scotland’s” Andy Murray in previous years when he got knocked out!
Its been that way for years, athletics, F1 you name it, you win your British you lose your Scots, Northern Irish or Welsh. But if your English and you win you remain English.
Any sports fan from Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland know exactly what I mean, if your English chances are you may have never noticed.
But yet our four nations and Ireland can come together and support the Lions.
I have a lot of English mates who genuinely hate Germany, but they all cheered when Martin Kaymer holed the putt to seal the Ryder Cup in Chicago, but would they support Germany in a World Cup final ?
Perhaps Rory would have been better served if he had simply dodged the question, but trust me if Rory had said England can you imagine the stick he would have got back home? Not only from his mates but politically.
And lets not lose Northern Irish politics in this.
Rory says England then he is suddenly a Unionist and it all turns political, don’t you think ?
Perhaps its in everyone’s best interests if we all look upon the comment for what it was, tongue in cheek.
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