Book description
When do the football codes burn brightest? When the fireflies of
controversy dance around them. They say best men are moulded out of
faults, and, for the most, become much more the better, for being a
little bad. Shakespeare, Measure for MeasureRoy Masters examines the sex
scandals, fierce rivalries, gambling excesses, boardroom rants, bar room
bust-ups, media headbutting and taxi-hijacking that have taken place
across all codes of football in Australia over the last few years.
Bringing together historical perspective and contemporary insight, Bad
Boys provides a glimpse into the past when 'to be a fan was an act of
faith' and checks the pulse of the new generation of over-indulged
players in a media saturated age. Roy Masters is a legend in the world
of sport and an esteemed media commentator, and he offers plenty of
stories from his own days coaching, covering, and watching 'bad boys'.
Without shying away from the salacious stories and out-of-bounds antics,
Roy brings genuine analysis and investigation into the current state of
play and what can be done to apportion the blame, improve the behaviour
and put footballers' actions into a larger social context. Chapters
include 'Bad Boys and Bad Blood, 'Birds', 'Brawls', 'Betting', 'Bonding
and Busted Bodies' and 'the Bench'. Covering stories across league,
union, AFL and football - past and present - this book will provoke
intra- and inter-code discussions across the country. Come on, you know
you want to hang out with the Bad Boys... Roy Masters coached first
grade rugby league for ten years. He is St George's longest- serving
coach and Western Suburbs Coach of the Century. An award-winning sports
journalist, he has written for The Sydney Morning Herald for two
decades. Roy is a member of a well-known literary and media family, his
mother Olga being one of Australia's foremost novelists. An inaugural
member of the Australian Sports Commission (1984), Roy still serves on
the board, having initiated the program of modified sports for primary
school children. Roy is married to Elaine Canty and divides his time
between Sydney and Melbourne.
