The unappreciated brilliance of authenticity
A guest post by Scotty Stevenson on why our women athletes remain more willing to illustrate the human condition.
Ruby Tui zoomed into TVNZ Breakfast this morning, so bursting with engaging and enthusiastic chat that the morning show ran a full minute over time, quite possibly giving someone in the advertising team a conniption in the process.
The interview centred on Tui’s new biography, Straight Up, which was released on Tuesday and which charts, with confronting honesty, the Black Fern’s trajectory from tortuous childhood to Olympic champion. For those who have had the pleasure to have met Tui, or to have seen one of her many post-match media moments, or to have heard her spit commentary one-liners with the regularity of a Rodney Dangerfield stand-up routine, this is a book that effortlessly reflects her unmistakable voice. With Ruby Tui, what you see is what you get; with Ruby Tui Straight Up, what you read is more than you bargained for.
“I hold no hate or resentment towards anyone - even my dad’s choice of alcohol above anything else in his life, including me; Mum and her depression, when she was unable to stick up for me; my brother’s dad and his atrocious behaviour. Those things were all horrible, but I have the choice to be better. I feel like it’s really cool that I can say: That all sucks, but I’m not carrying any of it. It’s not my burden. I choose to do life differently.”
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