Sportspeople have always been this way

Konrad Hurrell's sex tape with Teuila Blakely was leaked by a friend. Photo / Getty Images

Stars were better able to hide their bad behaviour in the pre-social media age, writes Andrew Alderson.

To suggest a rare bout of sexual proclivity has erupted among sport's elite - through the acts of Aaron Smith and Konrad Hurrell - is nonsense. Social media has created the illusion.

From Hurrell's selfie of a sex act involving Shortland St actor Teuila Blakely while he's driving, to All Black Smith distributing photos of his penis, voyeurs have been exposed to a trove of titillating material.

Yet alpha sportspeople have forever been magnets for affection. Imagine if Twitter, Instagram or Youtube had existed when Kit Fawcett suggested the All Blacks would score more off the field than on during the 1976 South Africa tour, or if vision was available when sports media kaumatua recount a 1960s All Black's 10 greatest conquests.

Social circumstances have not changed, transmission technology has. Like it or not, social media websites and apps have become a significant news source. Acts and comments which were once private have become increasingly mainstream.

Former All Black Josh Kronfeld has watched the revolution since his 1995 debut in a pre-social media age. "People have been doing stuff like that [the Smith and Hurrell hijinks] for years. The difference is accessibility. Anything can be out there two seconds after it happens. Back in my time, something could go down, but there was time to prevent it going further. Take a handbags-at- 10-paces situation. Once, people would get in to stop it going further; today, they'd rather film it.

"There were some absolute mongrels back in my day. Legendary stories float around - we've all heard a few - but that's all they need to be. Unfortunately, in today's world, there's no intervention and people have to bemuchmore careful.

"Hurrell probably regrets sending it and she [Blakely] must've been slightly mortified as well, but I like her 'we're friends etc' response. She faced up to it. I don't understand why he has to go in front of a panel and be judged by his sport. How does it really affect his sport? Maybe I am being non-PC but if he's still a good person and playing good code, then it's no big deal."

Massey University sports psychologist Gary Hermansson says the Smith and Hurrell scenarios are standard-issue for young athletes in their prime.

"It's part of a 'now' mentality where consequences are given little thought," he says. "In many ways, that's what makes good sports people - instinct.

But in ordinary life, you've got to plan ahead in case something goes awry. The use of social media is embedded in a younger age group where it's so damn easy to do something in the heat of the moment.

"In sports teams, there tends to be a bravado element. Players are looking for fun and have an abundance of sexual energy. You can put athletes through any number of workshops but developing the mental discipline to say, 'hang on a minute', is a tough ask. They're more likely to think, 'gee, the boys will love this'. For top sportspeople, such temptations are everywhere. It can be a double edged sword."

Social media grants journalists easier access to 'forbidden fruit' stories which generate extraordinary public interest. As of Friday, the original Hurrell/Blakely post had generated 4700 likes on Facebook and 124 tweets. Smith's release had clocked figures of 3500 and 20.

Greg Treadwell, a senior lecturer in journalism at the Auckland University of Technology, says the public's obsession comes because the stories make the protagonists more human.

"In theory, these stories should probably be private matters but we get obsessed with sportspeople needing to be perfect role models. These guys are not angels. They're fallible like anyone else but it doesn't affect their ability to be a Warrior or All Black. In a way, it makes them more real, which gives the stories news value."

Beginners guide

Snapchat

Multimedia and other content sent to a controlled list of recipients. Material can be viewed for one to 10 seconds after which it's hidden from the recipient's device and deleted from servers. For the uninitiated: Think Mission Impossible: 'This disc will self destruct in five seconds'.

Twitter

Registered users send and read 140-character 'tweet' messages. Unregistered users can read only. For the uninitiated: Sending a text message to the world. Instagram Users take pictures and videos, apply digital filters and share them. For the uninitiated: Think Polaroid images but online.

Tumblr

Users post multimedia and other content to a short-form blog and can follow other users. For the uninitiated: A bulletin board on your laptop/mobile.

Facebook

Users create a profile, add other users as friends, exchange messages and receive notifications when they update. Common interest groups are also prevalent. For the uninitiated: Lets the computer-literate world see how you think and socialise.

Tinder

Users initiate dates among themselves. Software accesses compatibility from users' Facebook profiles. Users can anonymously 'like' or 'pass' selected candidates. For the uninitiated: Beats putting an ad in the paper.

Youtube

View user-generated and corporate media video content, as well as cult film, TV and music footage. For the uninitiated: A video library in a weblink.