Brave or stupid? What this hero is teaching boys about manhood.

By SHAUNA ANDERSON

There were two acts of bravery that my seven-year old son lauded last week.

The first was a guy who had his arms ripped off by a shark on Thursday off the coast of Western Australia.

The other was Sam Burgess,  the young bloke who played an entire NRL Grand Final with a fractured cheekbone and possible concussion.

A man now praised for being a “champion”, a “legend”, “gutsy”, and  “courageous”.

A man who now says he “can’t actually remember” much of the game anyway – possibly, medical experts now say, due to concussion.

Sam Burgess (left) with Greg Inglis after the Grand Final

A man given the keys to the city of Sydney today and whose image will appear in full on posters tomorrow in major daily newspapers.

The shark attack victim had no choice but to swim to shore when the shark tore his limbs off.

Somewhere out there was a great white keen to eat the rest of him.

Sean Pollard lost his arms last week after a shark attack victim 

But the other “hero”, Burgess, had a choice as to whether risk blindness, permanent double-vision or a lifetime head injury, and he chose to risk it.

He chose a ring, a shit-load of cash and the glory of a much-loved football team over his own health.

The Rabbitohs’ player made Rugby League folklore on Sunday night when he played the decider with a fractured cheekbone and eye socket after a sickening head-smash with a Bulldogs’ player.

I watched the game with a room full of families dressed in red and green. I’m decidedly unsporty and my only real interest in the match was to rib a gang of boys aged between 5-8 by pretending I was the lone Bulldogs’ supporter in the room.

When the two grown men smashed bone-on-bone the boys roared with primeval hunger.

See the moment Burgess was injured here at 9 seconds:

There was no question for them that this man, who played on with blood dripping from his nose, was a warrior.

By the end of the match, he was a champion.

As a mother, his decision to play on makes my brain fuzzy with its implications.

Did he think through the consequences of his injury before he carried on?

On one hand I feel pride in his display of commitment and passion – two qualities I strongly believe our young men need, but on the other, the sight of my two sons and their friends chanting his name sent a tiny ripple of fear through me.

Post-match, his own mother’s words seemed to echo many of my bewildered thoughts.

Fairfax Media reported:

“Burgess’ mother, Julie, said there was no way her son would come from the field without a premiership ring. “Not at all. There was no way he would come off that field without a win for his team and without doing himself or his family proud,” she said. “It is unbelievable. I probably won’t want to watch that game again. Wow, he is the ultimate hero isn’t he? He really is. Why do they do this? What a stupid sport!”

Stupid indeed.

You are right though, Julie, it makes me wonder: ‘Why do they do this?’

I know it’s a cop out to say I am scared of what my own children’s sporting future holds, as I can’t predict.

I know that my smugness about their current choices of soccer and tennis as five and seven-year-olds might transform into fear should they turn to games like League.

And I know that there is no question that the codes put the utmost effort into ensuring the safety of young players but it’s the riskiness that makes your stomach twist when you see these young men run onto a field.

It makes me hope my boys never choose this sport.

Sam Burgess dodged a bullet this time, but does that make him a hero?

I’m not so sure.

Isn’t he just showing my sons that being injured is a weakness – that a true champion does what it takes to win even if it means risking his own health?

The shark victim – he fits my definition of courage, but does anyone remember his name?

(It is Sean Pollard, if you are wondering)

Will he get a shit-load of cash and a life-sized pull out poster?

Sam Burgess may have dazzled us with his daring but he’s not the guy I want my sons to look up to.

What do you think? Is this a great or terrible example of courage to set to young men?