A snippet from an article I wrote recently for Christian Today.
In the last few months, I have read two books discussing the social history of Australia over the last 50 years or so. Two things surprised me, how much has changed, and how little has changed.
In one of these books, I read a quote from a newspaper article dated March 1958 complaining about the behaviour of tennis players: “It is high time that steps were taken to eliminate from tennis the gamesmanship, prima donna-like displays of bad temper, and persistent arguments with umpires.
Umpires should be empowered to deal drastically with objectionable behaviour, as in the case of football. If the tennis player who misbehaves was liable to be required to forfeit his match, or to submit to a period of suspension, there would be few spoilt prima donnas on the courts.” (Born in 1958? What else happened? By Ron Williams, pg. 42).
It could have been written last week!
