JUSTIN LANGER: Jack Whiteside paying his way to Olympics while Travis Bazzana enjoying Major League pay day

The official slogan of the Paris 2024 Olympic games is “Ouvrons Grand Les Jeux”. Translated, it means “Games Wide Open.”

“Ouvrons Grand Les Jeux,” whisper the Parisians. The Games are open — wide open — to new ideas, to breaking barriers, to redefining what’s possible when humanity comes together in celebration of sport and of a shared spirit.

The Olympic Games epitomise the triumph and heartaches of sport, and they also remind me of the enormous respect I have for all athletes who fight with every sinew of their body in pursuit of a dream.

Rewards today vary dramatically, but it is the pursuit — and the lessons that come with the journey — that present the greatest prizes.

When I was growing up, Rocky Balboa was my Hollywood hero.

In Mum and Dad’s garage I would punch the boxing bag, do hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups as Eye of the Tiger and No Second Prize blasted from the speakers. With every drop of sweat I would dream, not of becoming a champion boxer, but rather of wearing the baggy green cap.

I was that kid who would tell Mum that I was going to play cricket for Australia one day, and she was the Mum who simply smiled, patted me on the shoulder, and thought “that’s nice love”, as she taxied me to cricket game after cricket game.

The day I achieved my goal, there was no prouder person than my Mum. Little did we know the advantages choosing a game like cricket would bring to my life.

I didn’t necessarily have the athletic prowess to be an Olympian, but thankfully there was another sport that would welcome me to pursue a dream. I feel blessed by the opportunities.

Last weekend I was at Lords for the Cricket Connects Forum which brought 100 cricket minds together to discuss the current health of the international game. More than anything, I was struck by the huge financial gulfs that have emerged; gulfs that are evident in nearly every sport today.

On the one hand the BCCI, (Indian cricket) had just granted a $US15 million ($22m) bonus to their successful T20 World Cup-winning team. While other countries — with rich histories in our sport — are clawing for every dollar, just to keep the game alive.

This is so real, and yet it doesn’t seem right.

All the reasons make commercial sense, but the disparity is confronting and I know all sports face similar challenges.

I recently had a conversation with a very impressive young man named Jack Whiteside, an elite West Australian decathlete, who is aspiring to one day represent Australia at the Olympic Games. His training regime is extraordinary, as are his performances.

One of his mentors, the brilliantly dedicated Lyn Foreman told me: “Jack has the talent to go as far as he wants in athletics, as long as he is ready to put up with all the sacrifices and hard work that he will need to endure, if he is to realise his dreams.”

Jack tells me how much he loves decathlon, because of the variation it provides and the multiple disciplines he must dedicate his time to.

A gun AFL player as a kid, he said: “I still love footy and kick the footy all the time, but I loved athletics more and that’s why I chose this path. Sometimes you can get a bit jealous when you see the money and the exposure the AFL players get, but I love athletics and want to see how far I can go with it.”

Jack trains half of his time on his family’s property in Chidlow, running at local parks and throwing his javelin and shotput on a concrete platform built in the back yard, while pumping his weights at a personal gym at his home. Under the watchful eye of his coach, and mum, Chelsea, he spends the rest of his schedule down in Perth at the athletics stadium, and impressive WAIS training facility.

Jack says, “Doing half and half, saves some money and a lot of time driving back and forth from the Hills to Perth. On Sunday’s I work at Slater Gartrell’s sport store in Midland because it’s my only rest day and training volume is high at the moment.” His dedication, like so many other athletes is admirable, but it does come at a cost.

This August, Jack will be participating in the Under-20 World Athletics Championships being held in Peru. He and his family are pumped, but to get there they will be funding a lot of the costs themselves for him to represent his country. This surprised me and it is a far cry from some other sports.

For example, young Perth Scorchers and West Australian cricket player Cooper Conolly was selected in the Australian cricket squad this week to tour England.

A great kid and gifted player, Cooper is fortunate for him and his family, that he won’t be paying his expenses. Instead, he will be paid handsomely, fly business class and be seen by millions around the world when he gets his chance to play. He is paid as a full time professional, and lives a very fortunate existence, thanks to his chosen sport.

Another young Aussie athlete, Travis Bazzana was drafted at No.1 by the Cleveland Guardians in the Major League Baseball last Sunday night.

It’s been reported he will earn $10,570,600 for his sign-on fee. His baseball talent is obviously elite, and while he isn’t a household name in Australia yet, he has just been handed a platform that could send him into the hemisphere of global superstar if he is able to grasp this life-changing opportunity.

For years I have been in awe of the Olympic codes and their athletes. The Hockeyroos, arguably the greatest Australian sporting team ever, trained so hard while working, studying and being paid a small allowance. Yet they were the best of the best.

Their male counterparts, the Kookaburras, were as fit as any athletes, working their minds and skins to the bone, all for pride, love of their sport, and the dream to be the best they can be. So much respect.

Stories of the back-breaking, early-morning torture sessions of those athletes who choose rowing and swimming, or the intensity required of our young gymnasts is truly inspiring.

Just like the tireless pursuits of our sailors, such as a friend of mine Stefan Elliott- Shircore who I was introduced to through his mentor Steve Waugh. Their stories, like Jack Whiteside’s, are rousing, yet not uncommon.

The unsung heroes are also the families, coaches, psychologists, nutritionists, massage therapists, administrators, carers of these athletes, who play their roles in supporting the dream of their athletes. In most cases, they are doing it for love more than money or fame.

Matti Clements, of the Australian Sports Commission, put it beautifully to me this week when she said: “I see it every single day. These extraordinary para and able-bodied athletes who fight and work to be the best in the world, all because of ‘the power of a dream’.

“We try and support them as best we can, and while our government funding is generous, most of our athletes are just making ends meet, to be the best they can.”

CEO of WAIS, Matt Fulton conveyed similar sentiments when he told me: “The State Government is currently providing all Western Australian athletes going to the Olympic and Paralympic Games with a $5000 grant to assist with the additional cost pressures leading into the Games. This $5000 has a significant impact for athletes with a level of gratitude from them beyond what you’d believe.”

Because my background is in the ‘rich’ sports of cricket and AFL, I nearly fell off my seat when he told me the significance of $5000, but then I remembered the spirit of gratitude I felt earlier in the year when I covered the Australian women’s cricket Test match at the WACA.

Led by their captain Alyssa Healy, their gracious attitude was refreshing in the age of professional sport that I have become accustomed to.

In the same way, Paul Starc, father of Australian fast bowler Mitch and Olympic high jumper Brandon once told me how he recognised the contrast in his two sons, while sitting at the dinner table. Describing his son Mitch who chose cricket, compared to Brandon who chose athletics, he observed with a laugh: “Two brilliantly dedicated athletes, one rich, one poor.”

Chairman of WAIS Neale Fong describes some of the Olympic sports as the “poor cousins compared to some of the other bigger sports,” but then strongly reinforces how important it is to support and provide equal opportunities to all athletes as best they can.

To all those athletes in this Olympic period, and to their families and supporters, thank you from all Australians, for your dedication, sacrifice, and hard work. It doesn’t go unnoticed, and it won’t go unrewarded.

Money seems to be the benchmark for how we rate success these days, but trust me, there is so much more to success than just financial gain.