More than the scoreline
It's a standard morning. The alarm goes off with my pre-written message which gives me that extra energy to get out of bed - ‘Good Morning Baz - Have a great day today :)’. With that daily alarm, I wake up thinking about the array of things I have on for the day. Luckily for me, no two days are the same - whether it be my job, sport or just life, I rarely have a day that repeats itself. To some, it may seem that I live a crazy, fast-paced life that sometimes means I miss out on the usual things that most people get to enjoy, but for me I wouldn’t change it for one second. Why? Because now I realise that what I do is actually bringing about change.
On the weekend I played in a women’s SEABL semi-final at Kilsyth Basketball Stadium. I’ve been pretty lucky to have played in countless finals and many big games, but this game the one that stands out, and it’s not because we won. As I warmed up, I quickly ran over to the bench to grab a drink and two young boys leant over the side asking for high five. I was so focused on the game that I missed them as I ran back on the court. But as we ran out on to the court during player announcements, I managed to swing by them for a high five. As I ran by they yelled, ”Perera, you’re my favourite player!”. While I’m pretty sure they say this to all the girls, I’m mostly taken aback by the fact that two young boys are attending a women’s sporting event and are even thinking about looking up to someone like me.
All of my life I’ve played sport, and at 31, I’m definitely one of those athletes who is thinking about what my life after sport is going to look like. However, I’ve been thrown a few lifelines and, for a while, I wasn’t quite sure why, but I did feel like I had some sort of unfinished business mainly around winning championships. But after years of playing as a professional athlete and having a role in a predominantly male dominated sporting industry, I can see more clearly that the reason I’m here is to help provide a pathway. I’m so fortunate to be surrounded by an incredible network of support with mentors and leaders- from my basketball coach to my manager at KOJO, to my Box Hill Hawks football coach, they have all helped me to realise that I can play a part in showing others what is possible. For the most part it’s really not about winning, it’s about the journey, and as cliched as that sounds - it really is about what you do along the way that counts.
After all these years, numerous championships, medals on the international stage and so many successful teams, I look at where I am and what I have achieved and none of it matters more than knowing I’ve been able to help make a change in our society. The fact that two young kids - boys - can come to a women’s sporting event and express that emotion means that we as a community have made a difference., I was able to help make a difference. Those kids are sons, friends and one day they might be partners, colleagues, bosses and dads. Their power to influence our greater society will be huge and they will go into those conversations and decisions with the foundation that men and women are equal.
For me that’s the greatest gift of being an athlete; the power to influence something bigger than just the scoreline.
- Baz x
P.S. Thank you to Lucy Race and the Outer Sanctum ladies for helping me get this up and running and for giving me the confidence to do this :)