Remember the glory days of action sports? They were days when athletes could do whatever they wanted, say whatever they wished, live the life that others could only dream of, and to hell with the consequences. And then professionalism crept in. Companies and brands began to turn the screws and dictate what their ‘investments’ did and said.

I get it. I understand that these sponsors have sunk X amount of dollars into these guys. Contracts and agreements have been signed and handshakes have been made. Hell, I used to work as an athlete manager of a brand and had to play ‘good cop, bad cop’ depending on whether an athlete was successful or wasn’t delivering.

But what’s really grating me like fingernails down a blackboard is the way these guys are now almost too scared of talking to us media guys for fear of saying something that could be perceived as ‘wrong’ by some bean-counting suit higher up the food chain. Professional athletes are being forced to pull on their media mask as soon as someone with a dictaphone even looks in their direction.

Image: Jeff Crow.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve experienced several instances where I’ve interviewed (a term I’m using loosely here) riders for freelance stories, only to find the guys are more cagey than Bigfoot himself and are more afraid of saying the wrong thing than most of the idiots running this country.

The more high profile and successful the riders are, the worse it gets. Even guys I’d had a great relationship with for years and have never thrown under the bus are starting to get all monotone on me. I freaking hate it. I hate the cookie-cutter answers, the lack of personality, the fear, the ‘say a lot without saying anything’ and the overuse of clichés.

People wonder how the likes of Josh Cachia gets away with some of the things he says, but you know what? People love it. Cachia probably has one of the biggest fan bases in Australian motocross because he is who he is. The public can identify with him and love the fact that Josh is a larrikin kid who doesn’t give a rat’s arse what people say or think. He’s been that way since day dot and hasn’t conformed to corporate manipulation.

Sure, being one of the most talented riders in the paddock hasn’t hurt, but there’re a shitload of others in the same talent league who have transformed into the racing equivalent of the Stepford Wives because they were told to uphold a certain image if they wanted to be successful.

Riders, at the end of the day it’s your talent and hard work that makes you more successful than the next guy. It’s not your media face. You might occasionally say something that could potentially see you take a rap over the knuckles, but unless you blatantly defame someone, you’re not going to get fired over it.

As for the advantages? People will see your true personality and will be able to identify more with you. You’ll stand out and have your own identity, which in turn will make you more marketable. You’ll find more media opportunities will come your way, which will then improve your profile….and the snowball effect will continue. What’s to lose?

Originally published on Simon Makker’s personal website, www.makkreative.com. Hit the link for more blog posts, opinion pieces, galleries and more.