In Sport, the term ‘great bloke’ doesn’t mean what it says. Like ‘fun run’, it in fact often means the precise opposite.

Titus O’Reily, the sports historian Australia neither requirements nor deserves, examines why our nation’s sportspeople may do terrible points yet be so readily forgiven.

In this Great Southern Land, a sportsman could be excused almost any sin if he’s elevated to the mythical position to be a ‘good bloke’. So, what does it try earn the title of ‘great bloke’? And will female about A Sporting Opportunity: Australian Having Scandals and the road to Redemption sportsmen be great blokes too?

With ridiculous tales from Australia’s chequered sporting history, A Sporting Possibility dissects the scandals big and small, the mistakes made in covering them up and the path athletes tread back again to redemption.

Through the corrupt cop who gave us the race that stopped a nation, towards the Australian boxing champion who refused to train – not to mention the sandpaper-loving Australian Test cricket team – Titus reveals the key archetypes at the heart of our greatest sporting scandals.

In his own rambling and at times incoherent style he asks the issue: are Australians really that forgiving of their sporting heroes? Or, using the rise of social networking, women’s sport and the drive towards greater equality, will be the good blokes of Australia’s sporting landscaping becoming an endangered types?

‘An indispensable tone of voice for serious enthusiasts, who need to be reminded to consider sport a little less significantly.’ Inside Sport