Sydney’s elite private schools are churning out thousands of bloated, beer reliant ex-jocks, according to a new report.
An Institute of Societal Trends paper, Jocks: Now the Party’s Over, looked at ex-1st XV Sydney private school rugby players from 1995 onwards and found 42% are technically alcoholic, while 38% are in the ‘seriously teetering on alcoholism’ category.
Of the remaining 10%, half are playing Super 15 rugby and the other half are working in the commerce sector on Sydney’s George Street.
The paper indicated that former jocks struggle when thrust out of their bubble and tend to take consolation in beers at north shore pubs as a way of dealing with their emotions.
“I could bench press 150 kilos in year 12 and I was vice captain of the combined GPS 1st XV,” bragged one ex-jock. “Now I’m bloated and lonely. Sometimes I dream of running out in front of a packed school crowd, schoolmates chanting my name and cheering me on, young girls shrieking with pubescent delight – only to wake up and realise I’m just a junior advertising executive at a reasonably well-known biscuit company.”
“It’s a real reminder that I’m not who I used to be – and it scares me.”
Psychologist Sue Bradfield said these young men are facing hurdles in their 20s that they are seemingly emotionally ill-equipped to deal with.
“All they know is how to drink beer and make crude misogynistic jokes and brag about their sexual exploits, which is all well and good if your self-esteem is high, but a dangerous exercise if it isn’t,” she said.
“With only 5% of ex-jocks likely to play Super 15 Rugby, more and more of them are turning to beers and, even more worryingly, are taking up highly paid positions with investment banks.”
“I used to scull a beer to rapturous applause at 18th birthdays, but now I just get a strange silence upon completing a beverage,” said one former schoolboy footballer. “Women in real life aren’t impressed by a bloaty mid 20s failure, even one who used to light up upper North Shore football fields.”
Pub patrons have been urged to stay away from North Shore hangouts such as The Commodore, The Crows Nest Hotel and ‘Minskys’ in case they come across any former GPS or CAS footballers drinking away their pain.
“The casual pub-goer should remember that ex-jocks are still considered dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstance,” NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said.
By Dave Edwards
Rather concerning developments.