The Sporting "bubble"

I watched David Warner's acceptance speech last night at the Alan Border medal and was genuinely blown away at how candid and honest he was when reflecting on the past couple of years. Of course everyone knows what happened but what we saw was a real insight into the affect his banning from playing international cricket had on him as a person (rather than just a cricketer).

In my dealings with professional athletes, and specifically in looking after their financial affairs, what I have observed over the years is there genuine insecurities that are rarely seen by the public. Often we forget their age, background, and education, and the fact that they are trained to operate in a "bubble". You could never accuse our sporting stars of lacking "friends" but I would say very interact with them outside the bubble as an ordinary person or are in a position to help them cope with dealing with the realities they face when a crisis comes along or when the crowds no longer remember their name.

That is why it was so refreshing to hear David reference his shortcomings, and you would hope that his experiences over the past couple of years could be used by the people charged with coaching and leading the next generation of sportspeople. #warner #athletes #sporting