James Weir on Mack Horton and swimming’s new brat pack

Forget that controversial podium tantrum - this is how Mack Horton should’ve made his feelings know about drug cheat Sun Yang.

The brats are out in force this week with Aussie swimming star Mack Horton flipping the Monopoly board and screaming that he doesn’t wanna play anymore.

The 23-year-old went bold with a podium protest at the world swimming championships in Gwangju, South Korea — refusing to stand alongside his Chinese nemesis Sun Yang after the men’s 400m freestyle. He looked miffed, as if Sun just told him he’d peed in the pool.

The Aussie’s podium protest then spurred on another one from British freestyler Duncan Scott, who refused to shake hands or pose with Yang after the 200m final. And then we all refused to stop talking about it — mainly because it’s fun to keep saying “podium protest”.

It’s all because of some doping scandal. OK, doping scandals are serious. Sun served a three-month ban in 2014 for taking a substance that was for a long time beforehand deemed legal. And then he allegedly smashed vials of his blood with a hammer when visited by drug testers last year. All very murky — like the water in a kids-only public pool.

Relax, Mack. It’s not like he gave you a wedgie in your speedos.

The final straw for a lot of sports fans was when Sun pointed at Duncan and scoffed, “You loser, I’m winning!” but, honestly, I yell the same thing at my niece when I beat her in Connect Four. It’s called having a passion for the game.

There’s a generation of brats coming up in the world who think they’re entitled to call out every perceived wrongdoing and seek justice. They know their rights and they’ll fight for them. And this often involves some kind of symbolic public statement that will get celebrated on social media.

Everyone’s out to prove a point in the most self-righteous way possible. Mack’s protest was supposed to be a stoic statement but it came across like a bratty tantrum.

He could’ve made his feelings known in a much classier way. Like, he could’ve stood next to Sun on the podium and offered a handshake but, right when Sun reached out to reciprocate, Mack could’ve whipped back his hand and brushed it through his hair while laughing.

The crowd would’ve went wild. That move will always be hilarious, particularly when you do it to potential employers at job interviews.

Ian Thorpe and Susie O’Neil or any of those other swimming rock stars wouldn’t have pulled a podium protest. They would’ve done what we all do it crappy situations — sucked it up and been gracious in public and then complained about it in private for years after.

Amanda Keller was probably spewing when Tom Gleeson steamrolled her to get the Gold Logie with his gag campaign that mocked the rules at this month’s ceremony — but she didn’t organise a mass walkout at the Gold Coast PCYC or whatever rec centre it was held in.

She sucked it up. Because you just look like a loser when you flip the Monopoly board.

To be honest, Sun seems like a hoot.

MASTERCHEF’S REAL PRESSURE TEST

Speaking of flipping the Monopoly board, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan made a big mistake storming off with their mate George Calombaris.

The culinary trio has a very “all for one, one for all” attitude. That’s why they linked arms and walked out of their negotiations with Network 10 this week — cutting ties with MasterChef.

Some people probably find it admirable — sticking together, carrying on the brotherhood. But who cares about brotherhood when one of the bros is stinking up your reputation.

Having a Fair Work investigation find you’ve underpaid staff more than $7.8 million isn’t an easy thing for George to shrug off. That mess is baked on, and it’s now sticking to Matt and Gary.

He’s lost endorsement deals and fans.

Matt and Gary should’ve cut him loose. In the car park before heading into the boardroom, they could’ve just nodded along with George’s plan to rip up the contracts, but then secretly signed on without him.

After they walked, George said they just couldn’t make the filming dates “align” which is understandable because ripping people off does take up a lot of time.

So who will take their places? We said it last week and we’ll say it again: Lindsay Lohan is now part of the Ten stable and she’s just an obvious choice.

We look forward to seeing her in the kitchen next year with the Bondi Vet and that Boost Juice lady Janine Allis.

Twitter and Facebook: @hellojamesweir

Good luck with your YouTube show or whatever you’re pitching.

Originally published as James Weir on Mack Horton and swimming’s new brat pack