Some years ago professional artist Jon Campbell won the Basil Sellers $100,000 Sport-Art Prize in Melbourne with an art work titled 'Dream Team' which featured a wall framed with sports identities nicknames.
The nicknames from this painting were easily identifiable and my sports teams had similar nick names.
Check out our Olympians, the cricketers and the footballers (of all codes)! No male athlete misses out on such an honour! Girls are not excluded. And it is an honour, it gives a sense of belonging and acceptance.
This is the first thing new immigrants learn as kids! It's a national past time.
Jon Campbell noted the names in the winning Basil Sellers Sport-Art Prize entry came directly from AFL football classics. One of them was from Gary Ablett snr, "God". There was Spud, Rat, Lethal and the like. We know them all.
The philosophical brilliance of the art work was that it was so typically Australian and so typically "sport" Australian.
One of the common denominators in all Australian men's sport in particular is that everyone gets a nickname.
Some are hillarious – I remember the Channel 9's Olympic commentators in 2012 London gave Lawrence Clarke the Great Britain 110 metre hurdler (4th in final) the nickname (who they claimed is from the eccentric aristocracy) "Leaping Lord Lawrence".
Pakistani cricketer Miandad of the 70s was nicknamed 'Dave' after the early Australian cinematic film 'Dad and Dave', therefore 'me and dad'.
Another Image
Artist Louise Harman has depicted several art works of AFL footballers as well. One was several small paintings of AFL footballers all surrounding a central painting depicting a crowd of footy players lifting high their star.
Many Christian people viewing this painting said it's impression portrayed the "press" of people upon Jesus and the art work showed a Jesus "look-alike" as the one being promulgated and lifted up. The supporting smaller art works of footballers were all 'seen as' running to Jesus.
Sport-Art conveys messages where words are necessarily silent.
Josh Hinds is in business on the Central Coast of NSW, a family man and PSI's IT professional. Josh is an experienced writer on international sport.
Josh Hinds' previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/joshua-hinds.html