Dialogue: David leaves the team for Goliath

By SANDY BURGHAM

Remember the heydays of February? The Prime Minister was still honeymooning in her first 100 days in power, money was pouring into our largest urban centre and no one could beat us at yachting.

Of course we were always on a collision course with an iceberg, with interest rates creeping up and the dollar sinking, yet we were too busy partying to take heed. What makes it worse for those on the lower decks is that the sports heroes we rely on to keep our mood buoyant either keep losing or seem to bail out on the first lifeboat.

Strangely, New Zealanders are always far more emotional about sporting results than economic results, which skews our expectations as to who is responsible for the mood and state of the nation.

Thus we are incredulous at the Brad Butterworth and Russell Coutts defection, acting like a jilted lover dumped in favour of a wealthy Swiss sleaze bag. But I thought we had something? What about all those things you said - about us being in it together for the long haul? How could you leave me this way?

Of course, we kick ourselves now. We should have seen the signs. To think it was all about the love of the game and patriotism, and not about the money. We needed to hear all the teamwork stuff in uncertain times. It gave us comfort, reminding us of an era when we were made of sterner stuff and not so individually or monetarily motivated. Love is blind. This hasn't been about boats for a long time.

Canvassing opinion, three themes emerge - devastation, disappointment and depression. We know we are capable of breeding winners, which is extraordinary for a nation of our size. But we never banked on those winners being pinched so easily from under our noses. And we never imagined their willingness to defect.

What hurts is that the team dream was sold to New Zealand so convincingly. Not only did we think we were part of the team but that life indeed was a Sunday-evening, made-for-TV movie where David defeats Goliath with a cool slingshot and a matter of principle.

We never considered an alternative ending where David decides to join Goliath. Butterworth and Coutts, despite having played down their individual merits ironically in favour of the "team," cannot deny that they were crucial players in selling a naive country a national dream.

I have little sympathy for them having to endure the public backlash, and I imagine their discomfort in facing the kids of New Zealand, and having to explain that in fact money talks louder than the teamwork and patriotism they have been espousing.

Sure, the hypocrisy they seem to have displayed to their immediate team appears unforgivable but, before we completely chastise the defectors, let's remember that many us would have jumped ship too and probably for a lot less money.

Before we cast Butterworth and Coutts out as social lepers, let's remember that these men have served their time for New Zealand - they won the cup, then defended it, put New Zealand on the world stage and made us feel good about ourselves. These guys are national heroes because they won.

If the score had been 5-nil to Prada, there would have been accusations flying about an elitist sport conning the public out of time and money. The team would have been dismissed as much as the All Blacks were after the World Cup disaster.

These are just talented sportsmen now held responsible for the state of national patriotism and a predicted future slump in tourism earnings. But sport will never "save the nation." The film industry has a greater chance of doing that. It is Peter Jackson and not Coutts or Butterworth on the rich list.

Maybe we should expect more from our politicians and less from our sportspeople. But for the moment, the nation's mood rests on the shoulders of Tom Schnackenberg who has proclaimed that he has not been approached because he gives out the vibes that he cannot be bought.

And we are reminded of the Speights bloke who gives up the box at Eden Park, the blond and the Merc just to do "the right thing." Good on ya mate.