Mason Cox on being blissfully ignorant about his knowledge of AFL history and Xmas with Eddie

MASON Cox went from a broke college kid who relied on cooking noodles to spending Christmas night with Eddie McGuire. In his latest column, Cox opens up on why being ‘blissfully ignorant’ is making his AFL journey even more special.

• How defecting war hero sparked epic 100 year rivalry
• Treloar reveals Pies’ booze pledge
• Amazing free kick numbers that could tip Tigers v Pies
• Cox: I don’t care what the haters think

RECENTLY I was asked, “How would you describe yourself?” To which I answered, “How long have you got?”

Honestly, that question can have many different responses but it got me thinking on a deeper level about how other people perceive me.

Those who see me on the field for a couple of hours a week may consider me many different things. But when it comes to footy, my favourite description is ‘blissfully ignorant’.

Sport has the capacity to take over people’s lives and drag them in many different directions, some positive and some negative.

It is understandable how that can happen, but it is also something that, because of my background, I just see in a completely different light.

Most Magpies grew up dreaming of a Preliminary Final. Meanwhile @masonsixtencox is still trying to work out what it actually means 😂 #FOREVER pic.twitter.com/4WLhSThDaH

— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) September 18, 2018

I didn’t grow up playing football. I never played AusKick, made lifelong friends in my local footy team, or had a team I was forced to barrack for because my family did.

I mean, I still go to AusKick clinics knowing that some of the kids have been playing footy longer than I have.

I didn’t idolise the players I now stand next to on the MCG.

When I first met the likes of Nathan Buckley and Robert Harvey, I had no idea they were even past players.

To be honest these moments still happen on a weekly basis, particularly when I meet people in the media who used to play the game.

While doing a recent radio interview, I made an educated guess that Nathan Brown was a Brownlow Medallist!

Luckily everyone, including him and his colleagues, just had a laugh and did not take offence.

That is one of the many things I love about the AFL and Australian culture, no one takes themselves too seriously and if they do, their friends are there to knock them down a peg or two.

Collingwood big man Mason Cox. Pic: Michael Klein

Being ignorant about the history of football and the people involved in it has given me a completely different experience when interacting with some of the most well-known people in the business and has created a few good stories along the way.

When I talk to people like Eddie McGuire and Gill McLachlan, in my mind what I see is a very passionate Collingwood supporter and just another tall guy who, like me, probably struggles to find shoes that fit.

Sometimes my ignorance and inexperience in the limelight has gotten me into peculiar circumstances.

Last Christmas I spent the evening with Eddie and his family after volunteering at Collingwood’s annual Christmas Day Luncheon.

I had no family here and only a lunch with the club’s physio’s friend’s family that day. But Eddie refused to let me be alone on Christmas night. He said, ‘Come over to my place. We will have a glass of wine.’

Now let’s get this straight.

Just want to make sure people know before the game this weekend that I'm not making a political statement. I just don't know the national anthem.

📸 Adam Trafford pic.twitter.com/WeBGrFxgyV

— Mason Cox (@masonsixtencox) September 17, 2018

Before coming to Australia, I was a broke college kid who relied on cooking 10c packs of ramen noodles to get me through the week.

I couldn’t name a wine region in the world. All I knew was that there are two types of wine — red and white. So I spent the night mimicking Eddie’s every move, from the way he held the glass to the swirl and sniff as if I had a remote clue what I was doing.

I still laugh thinking back to that night and all the things I learned. But Eddie took me in and treated me like one of his own and still does to this day.

Eddie McGuire has always treated Mason Cox like one of his own Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Given my background, it means I don’t see public figures like Eddie and Gill as people to be intimidated by, but just ordinary people who go through similar things to everyone else.

The way not only people of their status but also the broader community have taken me in as their own and never ostracised me because of where I come from or how bad my accent has become has been such a relief and I will be forever grateful as I have come to know that as the “Aussie way.”

As athletes, we are sometimes made out to be more than we actually are.

I couldn’t think of a better example than back home in the United States. Players are treated as true celebrities. They have body guards and media cameras following their every move. Their pay cheques are much larger and their personal lives are more lavish.

I never reached the highest level but was able to see some of my teammates start to receive that kind of attention.

College athletes in that system cannot be paid, so millions of dollars in funding is pumped into sports programs through “donations” to the school.

To get an idea as to how much these donations might be, our highest donor, T. Boone Pickens, donated over $500 million to Oklahoma State University throughout his life.

HALF A BILLION DOLLARS TO A COLLEGE! I will let that sink in.

Magpies head coach Nathan Buckley speaks with Mason Cox

A lot of that was to renovate a football stadium that now bears his name. I was fortunate enough to experience some of this luxury in my old basketball locker room.

When you’d walk in, the first thing you saw was a marble staircase that led to our personalised lockers.

We flew in private jets to all of our games and had every detail from water and food waiting on the buses and in hotel rooms, to police escorts to our games.

Why? Because the school had the cash to do it and since they couldn’t pay players, they had to find other ways to impress them.

Imagine a TAC Cup team taking a private jet to play the Geelong Falcons or apparel powerhouses like Nike being their major sponsor.

When I first came to Melbourne, I thought the same extreme level of celebrity may apply to the biggest and highest paid players in the AFL.

I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that you can find your favourite player just grabbing a coffee or lunch somewhere and, for the most part, no one would even look twice nor bother them.

That is the norm here. Just an ordinary person living in extraordinary circumstances and I must say, it was a massive relief.

Just found out Connor is running out on the field with the team today and can't be happier for him and his family. pic.twitter.com/X70NzHQrHm

— Mason Cox (@masonsixtencox) August 11, 2018

I couldn’t help but laugh the first time someone asked for a photo with me.

I wondered if they actually knew who I was or just had never met another human being as tall as me.

That still goes through my mind every time I am randomly asked for a photo.

I don’t see myself as anything more than a normal human being and in my mind, I will always be that geeky mechanical engineer who four years ago was set to work a 9-5 job. It is nice that this industry allows me to be just that. Normal.

I do think though, having a different kind of mindset lets me enjoy this experience all the more because I just look at things through a unique spectrum.

So when it comes to knowing every player on the opposition’s list or past legends of the game at media appearances, I may not know every detail, but to me, I enjoy being ‘blissfully ignorant’.