Mat who?

I love the way a newspaper can call a Aussie 6 time US champion "virtually
unknown" and yet not feel any guilt.....

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20885589-953,00.html

 

<snigger> that's coz motorcyclists are invisible - right?..... does Mat ride
with his lights on????

betty <running away, and YES, I checked
to make sure this wasn't cross-posted this
time, hee hee. Holy crap, what a storm in a
teacup THAT ended up being! Sorry folks>

 

Doncha just love Usenet? ;-)

 

Well, it is true. He's barely had any exposure in the mainstream media,
even when he rode for Cagiva. Same would probably go for Beattie, who
was always in the shadow of Gardner and Doohan. If he hadn't lobbed a
job in the media with 10 I doubt the average punter would ever have
known he was the runner-up in the world championship.

Nev..
'04 CBR1100XX

 

And is there any other sport in which an Aussie 6-time US champion wouldn't
earn a mention in the home papers?
Fark; even the runners-up and one-time tennis and golf champions as well as
the also-ran basketball, NFL, softball, baseball and car-racing
participants get lauded!

 

know whats funnier, Chad Reed is 6 and doesnt even make a mention at
all in that article...


but does here.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20884541-662,00.html


The BRW list is again dominated by overseas-based stars: Norman spends
most of his year in the US.

Golfers and soccer players occupy most of the positions, with nine
members of the Socceroos' World Cup squad filling their pockets in
2006.

Harry Kewell earned $12.5 million to rank second, while Norman's
understudy, Adam Scott ($10.3 million), is third.

Lleyton Hewitt had a year to forget on the courts, slipping to fourth
with $9 million gained from an injury-plagued 2006 campaign.

Formula One ace Mark Webber ($8.5 million) was fifth and little-known
motocross star Chad Reed ($8 million) rose one spot to sixth.

 

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/22/1064082926504.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/08/1097089538957.html

Nev..
'04 CBR1100XX

 

"At ninth, unknown US-based motorcyclist Mat Mladin ....."
Sheesh!

 

One mention in 2003 and one in 2004.
I'd reckon Marcos Ambrose's US truck-racing efforts got more mentions!
(Not that I know how to drive the search engine)

 

Lauded? Is that like being burnt to a crisp in a Formula 1 car?

Theo

 

While I well know who he is, I can understand the attitude. They were US
championships, something of no relevance at all here. I wouldnt know the
winners of the US basketball, NFL, softball, baseball were never mind the
also-rans.

If he were racing successfully in something that had relevance in OZ (which
the US races don't to most people, just filler for cable TV watchers) he'd
be better known. I dont think he's too worried about it anyway Clem.

Al

 

Well, you said none, and I found 2 with a very quick google, using very
narrow search arguments, which I wouldn't consider to be an exhaustive
list. Even Mick Doohan would have been lucky to get more than two
mentions per weekend in the media, qualifying result and race result...
That's only 30 per year, with maybe a few more in the leadup to the
local GP.

If you want an example of a rider who is an Australian, British,
Swedish, Czech, Danish, Scandinavian, Polish, Italian & multiple World
champ who gets no local media exposure, his name is Jason Crump.

Nev..
'04 CBR1100XX

 

But that was the point I was trying to make Al. The Aussies who are also
rans in those sports like Shane Heal and Andrew Bogut (Basketball), that ex
AFL feller in the NFL, Tanya Harding in Softball or David Nilsson in
baseball don't get referred to as "virtually unknown"! (Not to mention
every golfer who ever even qualifies to play over there)

I agree. He doesn't seem to have too many worries at all.....

 

Funnily enough; the speedway racers do get mentioned a fair bit in the
Courier Mail (including in this article where he ranked 6th).

 

If you want an example of a rider who is an Australian, British, Swedish,

Jason was interviewed on the Big Sports Breakfast morning radio show on 2KY
yesterday.

 

****!
Crump/Chad sounds the bloody same.....