Retired professional sprinter and former Jamaica representative Asafa Powell has to this day been one of my favourite athletes of all time, not just for his exploits on the track (he being a former world record holder over 100 metres), but for his humility. 

Asafa, however, pick-started in his children’s race of life with a social media post recently, which has, naturally, drawn widespread attention. That infringement came far too prematurely, out by years, and was made against the background of his claim that Jamaica did nothing for him, which is not true, and that the support systems here are not good for athletes.

He regretted, he said, that he did not take up an offer to run for another country when he could have earned millions of US dollars. Sadly, Asafa not once suggested what improvements could be made to Jamaica’s athletics that would make it easier for his sons to compete for the country should they become capable.

Asafa’s children are not even at the age, and are not doing the things that can demonstrate that they are even showing promise just yet. And how does he know that his children would even want to take up athletics as a sport or contemplate it as a profession? Even if they do, who says they would follow directly in their father’s incredible footsteps of speed?  There are simply no guarantees in life.

The question of how deep the State should go in ‘looking after’ its citizens has always been a contentious one. 

‘Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country’, is a famous quote from John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th and youngest ever president of the United States at 43 years, during his inauguration speech of 1961. His death at the hands of an assassin on November 22, 1963 in Texas at just 46 years of life as the first Roman Catholic to hold such an office, was frightening. 

It’s still unclear how far JFK’s own words took him in his own journey of assisting the State without claiming too much from it in return, but that statement still remains relevant, although certain realities cannot be ignored.

Jamaica’s athletes have not all lived rosy lives and comfort does not always show up in their living rooms. Representing your country of birth or adoption is a huge honour that comes with tremendous responsibility. In most cases, national representatives do not earn a living by turning out for the country. They have their private avocation, which is largely responsible for putting meat on their table, or greens if they are vegetarians.

Asafa did not state specifically what he thought his children would require if they grew to be good enough to represent Jamaica, so we are not clear as to how wide the lines of responsibility should be drawn.

The Jamaican Government has supported track and field athletes in many ways. It could be argued by some that the support remains insufficient, but there are many who have contributed to Jamaica’s overall development who have never profited from any rollout by the State machinery.

Years ago, Michael Manley, as prime minister, ensured that certain athletes who were training and competing overseas got financial support from the Government. I know for sure when journalist Raymond Sharpe, now deceased, and who was at National Sports, later named the Institute of Sports, would fly overseas and hand over money from the Government to certain athletes who were said to be struggling to find the basics, all in a clandestine way. At one time, you could take no more than US$50 out of Jamaica, but Sharpe would carry up to three times that amount for one athlete. I have lived to see at least two of them say that Jamaica did nothing for them.

Athletes have been given land, houses, and duty-free concessions, among other things, but some never believe that those incentives were enough.

So, how do we treat the farmers who brave every condition thinkable, to provide for us? Why are they not handled specially too? What about the teachers who spend millions of hours trying to guide those athletes, tough-headed as many may have been? Are they not worthy of that kind of focus?

So maybe a trusted friend who has Asafa’s ears might want to whisper into them, naturally from both sides for assurance, to dissuade him from heading into that verbal zone about his children, henceforth. In any case, parents are there to guide their children, not to force them into something that they may not want to do.

Asafa, too, might want to reflect on his individual achievements when they mattered to Jamaica, and realise that he was never like Caesar heading back to Rome after a magnificent victory.

Will’s honesty at Select Grocers

Part of my pilgrimage last week took me to Select Grocers in Manor Park.

I remember being asked by my super senior relative to purchase phone credit for her, and used the occasion to pick up personal household items as well. After the purchase of credit, I asked one of the attendants to send the value to the phone intended and walked out. Arriving at the vehicle, I saw the same attendant rushing towards me, and eventually got there almost out of breath saying ‘Sir. Sir, you left your wallet.’ Mercy! There he was with my ugly, old, out-of-shape wallet in his hand, with everything intact. 

Wow! Could this be the real Jamaica? As usual these days, there was not much by way of cash in the wallet … well, maybe just enough to purchase six healthy meals for two days. But it was the action of the Select employee, Will Williamson, that counted. Assuming that his head is not light, he shall be rewarded with a spiritual blessing that I am sure will encourage him even more to continue the good work. It was certainly a case of where there is a Will, there is a way.

In the meantime, the Cuban-made genuine leather wallet is being prepared for its funeral.

One sick transport joke

The joke for me last week was one offered by Egerton Newman, head of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services, which suggested that general conduct on the road by taxi drivers had improved. I had never had as long a laugh in years.

Newman argued that there was a marked increase in standard and discipline among the utterly unruly operators over the last six months. But wait, what does the word ’operators’ mean, because it could mean owners, or drivers? Anyone you choose though, falls way short of the mark of civility.

I’ve always wondered about the name of the organisation, and what message it seeks to accomplish by such a highfalutin combination of words. I bet $1,000 that two per cent of the ‘operators’ do not understand the meaning of the name of the organisation, so it could be all about pushing ‘big’ words which not even the creators understand, and designed to claim the public’s attention to something that will never be achieved by the road maniacs.

Maybe Newman could seek a name change of the organisation to match the prevailing reality, like ‘Transport Hogs Come To Mash Up Your Life Association’, before jumping to the conclusion that there is an improvement in their conduct. No such thing has happened.

Another shallow cricket failure

So, the West Indies women have failed to make the 50-over cricket World Cup in India, despite a record-chasing performance against Thailand in their final match in Pakistan last Saturday (April 19).

How surprising is it that the Caribbean team, champions not so long ago in the T20 format, will not play in the 50-over version in which they have done well before?

Failing to qualify automatically, the West Indies had to go through a playoff system and could not advance from a pool of six teams to claim one of two spots available. Not even an Australian coach could work a miracle for them.

Now what? Will the Aussie be fired and Cricket West Indies push for a West Indian coaching philosophy again? Don’t hold your breath. There is a shallowness moving through West Indies cricket now that is poisoning the sport in the region, and there is no sure cure for it, not when that shallowness has been certified by board directors for another three years.