So the folks up north are issuing a five pound note with soccer legend George Best’s picture on it.
First off I need to state that I mean absolutely no disrespect to George Best here. Maybe it’s just my US upbringing, but isn’t money the province of presidents and history-altering figures? Does a sportsman really belong on money? Maybe it’s just me, but does a soccer player really function as a cornerstone of a nation’s identity? I mean, I know the brits (and hence the anglo-Irish) are mad for soccer, but aside from drunken celebrations and bragging rights, what do sports figures really do for a society? Their occupation is not a creative, but a competitive one; no matter what physical grace they may lend to their job. That’s the other thing: what they do is, at the end of the day, is play in a game - it just doesn’t seem a worthy independent contribution of genius to a nation’s cultural or political landscape; the sort of thing that would get a body onto a nation’s currency.
Did George do some astonishing charity work or help forge peace in Northern Ireland or something?
Am I alone here in thinking this is odd? Do other nations put sports heroes on their currency? I mean, why is he on their money? What ever happend to postage stamps? Statues? Naming of streets? Isn’t that where you find sports heroes?
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Hey - if he got folks up there to agree on something, that’s certainly noteworthy (get it - “note” worthy) hehe.
I just think it’s an odd precendent. Muhhamed Ali got blacks and whites who wouldn’t even drink from the same water fountain to feel a sense of mutual pride - he shook loose some serious predjudice and hatred - but you don’t see him on currency.
I think to be on a nation’s money you should be an integral part of that nation’s identity - what George did, he did for soccer, not for Northern Ireland. His countrymen should feel proud, but I don’t think a sportsman’s genius forges a nation, merely a victory for whatever team he’s playing for.
I am not one to normally get involved in petty disputes, but i grew up in the North of Ireland when George Best was at his prime, prior to his days playing for the American teams. I (along with my friends at the time) needed someone to look to for motivation and help us realize there was plenty of talent, not just strife in the country we loved. George Best may not have been the greatest representive for Northern Ireland, but he was an Ulsterman who was in the news for something other than violent acts. I met him once in Canada, and i remeber my father talking to him as if they had known each other for years. He was humble, a true talent of the game, and above all he was Irish. I can understand the comments regarding him being on a 5′er, but was’nt George Washington a slave owner? I just think the note is a way to remember a man that meant a lot to a generation of youngsters with not much light at the end of their tunnel.
Neill
George best created a non-sectarian atmosphere in hte north of Ireland. He brought a great sense of pride to Irish people, both Catholic and Protestment in the north and south. Surely thats worth a fiver!