Editorial: Mavericks of the sporting world; we miss them when they're gone

Hawke's Bay Today News Editor James Ford. Photo / File.

After arriving home from work following a late shift I turned on the TV and perused Netflix for something to take my mind off the day's busyness.

I came across a series called The Mavericks.
The series focuses on mavericks throughout the sporting world.
From football and darts to motor racing, snooker and boxing.

The names will no doubt jerk the memories of many.
The boxing episode showed Muhammad Ali as a 22-year-old, then dubbed the "Louisville Lip", telling the world that he is the greatest and prettiest.

George Best, Maradona and Paul Gascoigne headed the football episode.
The snooker episode featured the complex Alex "Hurricane" Higgins and enigmatic "Rocket" Ronnie O'Sullivan among others.

Darts wasn't short of a few mavericks, either.
The "Crafty Cockney" Eric Bristow, the fiery Jockey Wilson and ever flamboyant Bobby George, to name a few.
Many of these names, sadly, are now confined to the history books.
It made me think, will there be others?

Sport has seemingly become so serious, and, dare I say, void of entertaining characters.
A production line of media savvy, clean cut and fresh-faced role models is what we're presented with.

The post-match interview mostly consists of thanking teammates and fans.

It's a contradiction, I know.
We call for our well-paid and much-loved sports people to be role models these days.
A tipsy, chain-smoking Alex Higgins would hardly set a fine example for our little darlings.

But still, we yearn for the maverick.
One who carves their own path - a trailblazer - but offers so much colour and passion within their chosen craft.

Sadly, I fear, they are a dying breed.
But we got what we asked for.