I recently watched a documentary on the Crime and Investigation Network on the man behind Jack The Ripper. Now, as much I wouldn't like to admit that I couldn't sleep for hours after the show or that I still get nightmares when viewing anything that includes the faintest bit of horror (yes, I am also talking about movies featuring Paris Hilton as the leading lady), for the purposes of transparency, I will admit that the doccie had a lasting effect on me.
Apart from messing with my sleep pattern and convincing me that there was someone outside my bedroom window, the documentary actually enlighted me on the lengths the press would go to in order to generate revenue. The first letter ever received from the White Chapel terrorist was sent to the Central News Agency in 1888 entitled 'Dear Boss' and signed 'Jack The Ripper', which was the debut of that infamous name.
After years of investigation, it was discovered that Thomas J. Bulling - a journalist from the agency, was most likely the man behind what is now termed a hoax.
Putting a name to the serial killer was a stroke of utter genius as it captured the imagination of the public and of course saw the sales in Fleet Street soar.
Sensationalism, like sex, sells. And unfortunately so do stories about a sportsman's fall from grace. A year ago, Teko Modise was the golden boy of South African soccer. He was adored, was instrumental for both club and country and didn't put a foot wrong on or off the field.
McDonalds, Samsung and a host of other top brands swooped to sign the Bafana Bafana star on endorsement deals, which swelled his popularity and his pockets. Orlando Pirates were inundated with interview requests for the 'Navigator', so much so that Bucs spokesman Mickey Modisane once told me that if journalists had their way, Teko would talk more than he played football.
Oh the irony... Now that Modise is off form and apparently went AWOL for two days, interviews with the midfielder are not the order of the day.
The moment Ruud Krol pointed out that Teko had bunked training, the local hacks were drawing up their parallels to everyone from Tiger Woods to Jabu Pule.
One publication claimed that the General was heading straight into the gutter, another asked whether it is time for Elrio van Heerden to replace him in the national team.
And all these stories were doing the rounds while an official apology from Teko was blatantly ignored. Scribes are excellent at doing editorial math - pieces on Krol and Modise having a tiff is thrice as attractive as articles on the player saying he is sorry, which equals increased hits, unique users and page impressions.
Telling one side of a story is as bad as what Bulling did in 1888. Modise is aware he is off form - it happens to the world's best players. Steven Gerrard has been as awful as the Sharks' start to the current Super 14 campaign, while Ronaldinho is still trying to re-establish himself as a superstar.
Teko may have missed two training sessions, but he is not Pule or OJ Mabizela, who both battled with booze and drugs. He may have let his fans down, but he can't be compared to Tiger Woods, as he didn't attempt to score outside the sport.
Teko is simply the Navigator, whose bearings are a little off. But the most important thing is that he knows he needs to get back on the right track.
We should allow him to do that in peace, before we also metaphorically rip his career to shreds, à la Jack the Ripper...
Your Comments
Tumi
"Mellisa what great mind, always enjoy and agree with your writings."
raiden69
"That is the problem in SA football, the same media that build a player up after 3 or 4 good games describing him as the next Doc or Jomo are the same people who crucify him.He then gets likened to be the next OJ or Jabu"
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