Norman Mair: A Scottish sporting great

Many tributes have been paid to Norman Mair since his passing, largely by people unworthy of lacing his boots either as sportspeople or commentators and this is written in full awareness of joining those ranks.

He is a significant figure to those operating in this field not least because he offered a reminder of its importance having been a participant of sufficient talent to have represented Scotland internationally in both rugby and cricket who became much better known for his contribution to sport through his journalism.

Long the rugby and golf correspondent of The Scotsman, when his long association with that publication ended I had no hesitation in recruiting him as a Herald columnist, knowing he would both bring loyal readers and add an extra dimension to our coverage.

His understanding and fascination for technical minutiae could educate and bewilder in equal measure, not least when drawing parallels between an array of sports - soccer, as he often called it and tennis were also particular passions - and he had the sharpest of wits.

A fond memory is of seeking to tease him about his international rugby career by suggesting he must have been deeply embarrassed when dropped for the match that saw Scotland trounced by a then unheard of 44 point margin by the Springboks.

Without hesitation, customary wry smile playing upon his lips, he replied: "I prefer to think of that as one of the more extreme examples of selectorial blundering."

In the course of his elegant eulogy on Tuesday Norman's son Logan gave a marvellous account of how he had once addressed said blunder in print and, while often consulted by those picking national teams thereafter, he would become one of the more acerbic commentators on their efforts, his readiness to pass comment without apparent fear or favour offering an example which modern sports writers would do well to heed.

More recently it was always encouraging to receive kind words from this master of the craft, albeit in my own case they would invariably be directed not, sadly, towards writing ability or analytical prowess, but to perceived bravery.

When such compliments were offered I often wondered if Sir Humphrey-style euphemism was at play, discreetly cautioning against over-recklessness, but the days that followed Norman's death provided reminders of why some of us still place a high value on courage in this line of work.

Driven by public relations officers, who now out-number journalists on an extraordinary scale, the extent to which a pack mentality has afflicted this profession has rarely been more tellingly examined than in "The Dishonouring of Christopher Jeffries" which was aired last week.

It outlined the extent to which laziness and, in many cases cowardice in this business allows manipulation of the public agenda by the establishment.

That seemed ever more relevant when, the day that excellent production concluded, an email arrived from a former colleague attacking practices that have not so much seeped as poured into sports writing of late, in this instance targeting lazy journalists who routinely fail to attend press conferences and are subsequently fed quotes generated by a few industrious colleagues.

That is, however, merely one symptom of a relationship between sportspeople and the media covering them that would have been unimaginable when Norman Mair was developing his contacts in the sixties.

There is greater risk in the individualism that was then more prevalent since it increases the scope for missing stories, but the rewards for those prepared to show individual flair in pursuing the issues of the day, were commensurate.

Such thinking has been greatly undermined by the aforementioned growth in influence of public relations officers as they seek, ever more aggressively, to ensure that coverage is approved and, thereby, boringly homogenous.

Having written about that issue earlier this year I was invited by a student, working on his Masters at University in Manchester, to discuss it and, relying fairly heavily on our chat which helped transform his perception of the relationship between journalists and PRs, his dissertation was rewarded with an excellent grade.

Its conclusion, many Scottish sports PRs may be surprised to read, was that they deserve little blame since the fault for damage caused to the press by their efforts, lies almost entirely with journalists who have not shown the necessary energy, nous or guts to counter their tactics.

Admittedly, since the SRU did not employ a single paid press officer during his time as a rugby correspondent, it was something he rarely had to address, but I have no doubt that in such circumstances Norman would have done so rather than following the pack.

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