Tony Veitch: Sport the ultimate unifier

Scott Dixon looked remarkably relaxed after this spectacular crash at theIndy 500. Photo / AP

In my job, there's nothing better than a good stat. A stat to tell me Kane Williamson will be our best ever batsman. A stat to tell me why the Warriors fall apart in the second half - not all the time, just a lot.

But when I saw a study this week headlined 'Kiwis turning off sport in droves', I didn't believe it.

The numbers may be right. New Zealanders, especially the millennials, may be turning away from traditional sporting platforms.

But sport can still unite us like nothing else.

The recreational and entertainment options available these days are endless.

I get it. The rugby, racing and beer culture is truly a thing of the past.

But the emotive and nationalistic pulling power of sport is as strong as ever.

Sorry to all those America's Cup haters, but I told you so. Months ago, I said the Auld Mug would draw us in the way it always does.

Sure enough, the numbers clicking on the Herald and tapping into my Facebook page are huge.

TVNZ is leading their news with the America's Cup. Not sport, the news. And they're doing that because it rates.

Add in the Lions tour, and we've got a joyous sporting ride for the next five weeks.
So while the stats may say sport is slipping off the radar of everyday Kiwis, I say don't underestimate what competition and pride means to our little nation.

We live in an ever-changing world but sport continues to be a great unifier.

Coolest cat in Kiwi sport

Who would you want playing for you if your life or house were on the line? I think we found the answer this week.

Kiwi IndyCar driver Scott Dixon had a week from hell. First,he was held up at gun point outside a fast food outlet.Then he crashed his car in the Indy 500 at more than 350km/h.

Not even shaken, Dixon hopped out of his smashed-up car which looked more like a canoe and said:"It's all good. I'm actually more gutted for the team."

Take a bow, Scott Dixon, you are truly the Ice Man.

Enough of Tiger already

Tiger Woods. Photo / AP

I can't take any more of watching arguably the world's greatest golfer - some may argue sportsperson - humiliated on a global scale.

Tiger Woods is no saint but when his suspected drink-driving incident made international headlines, I thought 'the crash', excuse the pun, was complete; that his body and mind were beyond repair.

But it turns out Tiger had not touched a drop of alcohol. His sin this time was matching prescription medication to a car. First came the mug shot, then the Florida police in-car footage of a tragically broken hero.

Who knows why Tiger got in the car in the first place? His own statement and the video evidence make it clear he had no idea where he was.

It's easy to tear apart Tiger once again, but I say enough. He's not in a good place. The fact he's on so many prescription medications is testament to that.

I wonder what's going on in the head of the real Tiger - not the one so carefully managed. Watching him being asked by police to march in a straight line was awful.

I hate it when people tell sportsmen it's time to retire or stop doing what they love.

But right now, golf is nowhere near the No 1 priority for Tiger Woods. It's his children and, after the sad events of the past week, his personal well-being.