A News Corp Investigation has uncovered that NBL (National Basketball League) players are copping hurtful and vile online abuse after every game from disgruntled gamblers. Punters angry at losing bets are blaming players for missing shots, turning the ball over and losing games. The online abuse has been so intense and frequent it has prompted some players to seek professional help.
I won't repeat the abuse here but it is disgusting, threatening and alarming. Sydney Kings guard Shaun Bruce says he has copped online abuse for years but the personal attacks have gone to another level this season.
Sydney Kings owner Paul Smith has been so repulsed by the vile abuse that he has vowed the Kings will never sign a gambling company as a sponsor. Instead the Kings are now supported by GambleAware, a state government program that highlights the danger of gambling. Other clubs are starting to follow suit.
But nothing is holding back the tidal wave of abuse.
South East Melbourne Phoenix owner, Romie Chaudhari said; There is no place for this sort of hatred towards our players and families, or anyone else for that matter. If everyone took that type of negative energy and said/did things that are positive, this would be a much better place. Why is this so hard?
My late mother was someone who was kind. She loved to do things for other people. I remember one day many, many years ago when I was around 9-10 years old, I noticed my mother ironing. She didn't iron much; we didn't go out much. And ironing was not her thing. But this day she had two washing baskets full of ironing to do and I asked her what was going on. She said a neighbour down the street (not one of our close friends) was ill and she had offered to do the ironing for the family.
She said it so matter of factly, that it was no big deal. Yet at that tender age I was impressed and proud of my mother for stepping in and helping that family in need. It made me feel good. It made me think that I would like to help other people too – like my mother.
My older brother tells the story of how mum helped him with his first job interview, with AMP in the city. We lived in the country, near the city. Mum not only arranged the interview; she went with him to it and did all the talking – he didn't have to say a word! And you guessed it he got the job. Hard to believe now but this was the late 60s.
Years later, as part of a restructure my brother was asked to interview again for his job. This time he didn't get it. He jokes now he should have taken mum again. Interestingly his retrenchment from AMP, led him to become a partner in a very successful insurance brokering firm.
One of my favourite stories of Jesus is found in John 8:1-11. Jesus was teaching when a group of Pharisees brought a woman to him who had been caught in the act of adultery. They reminded Jesus that the Law of Moses required her to be stoned. They demanded to know what he thought. It was a trick question because if he said stone her – he would violate Roman law which said only the Romans could order executions. If Jesus said release her, he would be breaking the Law of Moses.
Jesus ignored them, knelt down and began drawing on the ground. When they kept at him, he stood up and said; Whoever of you is without sin, let him throw the first stone.
At this they began to disperse, the older men first. Until there was no one left to accuse the woman.
Jesus then said to her; Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.
I love this story of kindness. Jesus was all about showing kindness to people. Not condemning people. Not judging people. Having compassion on people.
What if we committed to being kind to people for just an hour? What would that look like? How hard would that be?
What if everything we said or did was based on kindness for that hour. No condemnation, no selfishness, no trying to win at all costs. But just being kind towards others. Helping them where we find them. Having kindness at the forefront of our minds.
What effect would such an exercise have on the people we meet and spend time with? What effect would it have on us?
What if we extended our kindness emphasis to two hours, six hours or even 24 hours?
That might be tough but not impossible. With God all things are possible.
What if we as a group committed to being kind – what effect would that have in a world littered with abuse and condemnation?
Can I encourage you to give kindness a go. Its not necessarily a natural thing to do but not necessarily that hard either. Try it just for an hour and see for yourself what happens.
Go with God and be kind.
Peter O'Sullivan
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