Jana Pittman, you are a drama queen Claire Mitchell-Taverner 14mar06
SHE should be the queen of the track in Melbourne in the next fortnight. But despite her loud protestations, Jana Pittman is surely the queen of drama right now, and there have been some quality contestants for that title in recent weeks.
I do not understand why such a fabulous and talented athlete -- and a publicist's dream -- is risking this unique opportunity. I imagine there are hundreds of athletes in Melbourne right now who would kill for the PR power that is Jana.
Sport is a competitive market, yet she seems to be potentially sabotaging her currency by crying "poor me" and falling for and buying into one of the oldest rivalry tricks in the book.
If Jana were not a drama queen, as she claims she is not, she would surely have altered the timing of her claim she is being chased out of town.
In the week before her biggest event on home soil and in a team environment such as the Games village, surely she could have timed it better (not only because you would think she should be concentrating on her preparation) or just gone quietly as most athletes do.
It bugs me when high-profile athletes who are happy to take the good bits and translate those into endorsement potential, are critical of their public exposure when it does not suit, particularly when the fodder is largely of their own making.
As a former athlete, my patience is further stretched when it is manufactured in a team environment like this.
In recent weeks we have also seen some of our highest-profile tennis players almost hold the Australian sporting public to ransom in their own private battles. Last weekend Mark Philippoussis said he may not be available for a Davis Cup tie because of issues with Tennis Australia's funding for him, or alleged lack thereof.
I think most Australians hold professional athletes in high regard and lose patience with those who put a price on, or their own agendas ahead of, the opportunity to represent their country and support and endorse the systems that gave them the opportunities in the first place.
Jana is under pressure to perform, but she is not alone.
We saw Cathy Freeman under significantly more pressure in the lead-up to and during the Sydney Olympics. She went about her business, and more, and came through as the superstar that she is.
It seems Jana is using the media to fuel the drama that she says too vocally she does not want.
With only a little thought she should come out the other end as our Games heroine, but we are tiring of her claims of vilification and focus on extraneous issues.
She has been baited and has had injury and health concerns.
But surely it's time we were reading about her professionalism in reaction to these and her pride in wearing the green and gold rather than her eagerness to get a ticket out of here.
Claire Mitchell-Taverner was a Hockeyroo from 1993-2001. She won Olympic gold in 2000 and Commonwealth Games and World Cup gold in 1998.
