Wiggins - National Disappointment

durhamwasp

anyone have a link to the photo in question

ddraver

Beatmaker wrote:

there's enough cyclist hatred as it is, and him giving the finger to the waiting press after leaving hospital today will do immesurable damage to his and cyclists reputations amongst many.

I doubt it, tomorrow's chip wrappers.

+1

I ll bet you a tenner that no one will remember who he or Froome is next July, SPOTY will be the last we see of him in the mainstream media.

There you are, First prediction of the 2013 season for ddraver

RichN95.

durhamwasp wrote:

anyone have a link to the photo in question

durhamwasp

Well, i dont know the circumstances of it - im presuming he did it for a good reason. He seems a genuine bloke.

BUT, thats not the behaviour of someone who is blatently trying to win SPOTY with all his public appearances.

No_Ta_Doctor

I have to say I'm also disappointed in him.

I won't be happy until he's glassed someone in a pub, been caught with hookers and coke and shat on Jonathon Ross' doorstep. Must do better.

fudbeer

RichN95 wrote:

Quite right. How much longer must be tolerate these frightful working class oiks representing our fine nation? The sooner only posh public school boys like Froome are permitted to don the Union Flag, better.

Yes well said can't stand Froome way to far up his own backside.

rebs

I'm bored of anything being put on a pedestal to be judged by how they react for what they have no interest in.

He likes his privacy and pretty much has the same opinion of certain parts of the press that we do. Difference is he is doing what the majority would want to do also :P

Think about it why bother sticking a camera at the end of a road of a hospital just to get the Wiggins driving home to recover. Do we really need that? I know we have plenty of 24 hour news programs to with rubbish.

Is anyone that offended by what he did... really? Are people upset that he isn't being what some poncy people want him to be?

Is he regarded as being the greatest cyclist we have ever had and shown amazing dedication to achieve what he has? Leave it at that.... There are plenty... I mean plenty of scrotes in this country. Wiggins is certainly not one of them.

PBo

Caption competition;

"Brad! Brad! Which finger did you dislocate??"

djfleming22

I don't think that he is a disappointment.... what i do think is what he did by giving the the finger is disappointing for the following reasons

1. Other children look up to him and follow him so giving someone the finger in front of the cameras is not something i would ask any of my children to do under any circumstances.
2. We all understand the risks to going on the road for a cycle these days except some of the MPS or alike...now be it pot holes or other drivers and would love for someone to be able to understand what we go through or a voice to stand up for better road conditions well the chance could have taken as he was leaving hospital... put the point across that more needs to be done for both education and money spent on repairs.
3. I am sorry but Mr Wiggins is an ambassador for the sport of cycling whether he likes it or not... start acting like it

disgruntledgoat

I'm more disappointed he wore a wigan jacket.

RichN95.

durhamwasp wrote:

BUT, thats not the behaviour of someone who is blatently trying to win SPOTY with all his public appearances.

Surely that's more to do with him having a book out. Cavendish last year was blatent campaigning.

AchillesLeftKnee

Good on him, I say. He's just a bloke, and that's far, far better than a lot of the sanitised, anodine automata we're served up by so much modern sport.

adr82

Secteur wrote:

Well, i expected such responses! I know Wiggins is super-popular at the moment.

As per my OP, it's not just the finger, it's attitude and projection in general.

I just like my champions a little more gratious and engaging.

If you look at the record books (for all sports), I think you will find a rather large number of champions have actually been less than perfect human beings, to put it mildly! Wiggins' escapades are rather tame when measured against many other sportsmen (eg a certain chap called Lance). I don't know why you think you're entitled to expect such a high standard of behaviour from your sporting idols. They dedicate their lives to being good at their sport, not to matching the social expectations of random muppets on the internet.

deejay

disgruntledgoat wrote:

I'm more disappointed he wore a wigan jacket.

Yup he can't be all bad when he supports a Rugby League Team even while winning the TDF.
The Media ask such stupid questions over and over again that an "Up Yours" is most refreshing to see.
You people moan about the manxman, so when are you happy. Only when a cheating Texan is on the cover.

PS that finger looks very like the "Up Yours" building in the City of LONDON. (referred to by some as the gherkin)

Andy MG

If you look at the end of this BBC report http://t.co/5x04mTBq and see the media scrum encamped outside presumably his house, I'm not surprised he took exception to the invasion. It's time the press learnt some manners and the British public stopped being so nosey. As somebody said earlier the prompt report from Sky contained all of the information that we 'needed' to know and some of the press still can't repeat that correctly!

Le Commentateur

I feel more than ever that Chris Froome would have been a better "first British winner of a grand tour / TdF"

Well that's life, you can't please everyone.

jonnycon

The press are unfortunately a national disappointment. Wiggins is a fine ambassador for the sport. Yesterday he was knocked off his bike, spent the night in hospital and emerged to have the press thrusting whatever they can at him. 12 -18 months ago cycling couldn't make a paragraph in any of the national papers, now Wiggo falling off his bike is headline news at 6pm !!!! Can we really expect people thrust into the limelight thus to handle every media situation expertly ? For what its worth a few friends of mine have met Wiggins out on training rides, he is always willing to ride with them and chat with no airs or graces, that means quite a lot in my book. Great cyclist, somewhat edgy character, gives someone the finger for thrusting a camera in his face at a very personal and painful time. Its time we got our priorities right and started to demonise the press for the constant massive impositions on people's privacy. Why do we think we are entitled to intrude on aspects of people's lives because they have won a bike race or two ?

d87francis

I have to say I admire Wiggins for exactly the opposite reasons to you. The fact that he isn't media trained/polished, doesn't have specials in OK magazine, he's a regular person, and behaves in a manner many would if you had the press hounding you constantly. Plus it goes further than this, his behaviour towards the press is emblematic of an antipathy of celebrity culture, which I agree with wholeheartedly.

Moomaloid

Feel like i'm back in the Britpop era...

ocdupalais

jonnycon wrote:

The press are unfortunately a national disappointment. Wiggins is a fine ambassador for the sport. Yesterday he was knocked off his bike, spent the night in hospital and emerged to have the press thrusting whatever they can at him. 12 -18 months ago cycling couldn't make a paragraph in any of the national papers, now Wiggo falling off his bike is headline news at 6pm !!!! Can we really expect people thrust into the limelight thus to handle every media situation expertly ? For what its worth a few friends of mine have met Wiggins out on training rides, he is always willing to ride with them and chat with no airs or graces, that means quite a lot in my book. Great cyclist, somewhat edgy character, gives someone the finger for thrusting a camera in his face at a very personal and painful time. Its time we got our priorities right and started to demonise the press for the constant massive impositions on people's privacy. Why do we think we are entitled to intrude on aspects of people's lives because they have won a bike race or two ?

Yup^.

An "edgy character" could quite readily develop as a result of w@nker tabloid journo's trying their sneaky underhand tactics in a self-generated feeding frenzy of fukc-all content...

"National Disappointment"?! ...What a cretinous slur.

twotyred

I just like my champions a little more gratious and engaging

Like who?

I think you'll find that alpha male winning personality is generally not gracious and engaging. More like arrogant, self obsessed and selfish. As an extreme example I give you Mr L Armstrong.

Fortunately Wiggins seems to be somewhat of an exception. Unfortunately he has moments of immaturity which I reckon after a bit of reflection he probably regrets later.

If you can't separate the person from their sporting accomplishments I'm afraid you're generally going to be doomed to disappointment.

dennisn

Secteur wrote:

Wiggins is a good cyclist. Indeed, he's a great cyclist, and has achieved an incredible amount, but his antics off the road are embarrassing.
The finger today, the c-word at the TdF, the crap almost rude interviews, the constant "I hate all the attention" (dont compete and win big races then), and lets not mention the blue coat at the recent TdF presentation... Plus his famous "i was almost an alcoholic" phase ....

I really cant stand Wiggins now and it he just seems unable to be gracious in public. I dont just support a winner, I support the man, and I just cant bring myself to support this man anymore.

So you want him to be your perfect shining example of your ideal cyclist? How is it that you say he's not allowed to be human and have human faults? It really isn't your place to demand he be something he's not. You're going to search long and hard for the perfection you seem to want and in the end all your candidates wil come up way short.

You say you don't support him anymore? What has changed? What are you NOT doing now that you were doing when you supported him?

Le Commentateur

He's just playing with them.

Drumlin

twotyred wrote:

I think you'll find that alpha male winning personality is generally not gracious and engaging.

Like Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny, Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent, Colin Jackson to name just a few ? Can you imagine any of them being so obnoxious as Wiggins ?

Vino'sGhost

djfleming22 wrote:

I don't think that he is a disappointment.... what i do think is what he did by giving the the finger is disappointing for the following reasons

1. Other children look up to him and follow him so giving someone the finger in front of the cameras is not something i would ask any of my children to do under any circumstances.
2. We all understand the risks to going on the road for a cycle these days except some of the MPS or alike...now be it pot holes or other drivers and would love for someone to be able to understand what we go through or a voice to stand up for better road conditions well the chance could have taken as he was leaving hospital... put the point across that more needs to be done for both education and money spent on repairs.
3. I am sorry but Mr Wiggins is an ambassador for the sport of cycling whether he likes it or not... start acting like it

Mmm I kind of think there's some truth in the ambassador thing but have sympathy. The caught with hookers an coke would make him cool though.

dortmunder

PBo wrote:

Caption competition;

"Brad! Brad! Which finger did you dislocate??"

"Brad, Brad! How many Tour De France have you won?"

shinyhelmut

No tA Doctor wrote:

I have to say I'm also disappointed in him.

I won't be happy until he's glassed someone in a pub, been caught with hookers and coke and shat on Jonathon Ross' doorstep. Must do better.

That would get him my vote for SPOTY.

blazing_saddles

Not so much disappointed by Brad's unnecessary gesture, more by those on here, who find
such juvenile behaviour, "refreshing" etc.
Seems more like he's crafting his media character: that of the working class lad, done good.
In that respect, it's stereo-typical behaviour.

Now, if it had been say Cadel Evans flipping the finger, that would be worth a giggle.

I also wonder if posting would be so positive, were it Contador or Valverde, extending the digit?
(if, indeed, anyone could be bothered to start a thread)

dabber

jonnycon wrote:

The press are unfortunately a national disappointment. Wiggins is a fine ambassador for the sport. Yesterday he was knocked off his bike, spent the night in hospital and emerged to have the press thrusting whatever they can at him. 12 -18 months ago cycling couldn't make a paragraph in any of the national papers, now Wiggo falling off his bike is headline news at 6pm !!!! Can we really expect people thrust into the limelight thus to handle every media situation expertly ? For what its worth a few friends of mine have met Wiggins out on training rides, he is always willing to ride with them and chat with no airs or graces, that means quite a lot in my book. Great cyclist, somewhat edgy character, gives someone the finger for thrusting a camera in his face at a very personal and painful time. Its time we got our priorities right and started to demonise the press for the constant massive impositions on people's privacy. Why do we think we are entitled to intrude on aspects of people's lives because they have won a bike race or two ?

What jonnycon said. That expresses it perfectly or me.

Tom Butcher

It works 2 ways - sure the intrusion must be a pain but I bet he's making an awful lot of money out of being so high profile. I don't think taking pictures of him as he leaves hospital is unreasonable - plenty the press do like camping outside houses is out of order but his hospitalisation was news.

As for giving the press the finger - got to go against the majority and say yeah I do find it a bit disappointing - I like Wiggins though and it's not a big deal - as someone else said we weren't there and don't really know the context.