Just to be clear, Nick Kyrgios is an idiot.

This is the bloke who tanked in his Wimbledon match against Richard Gasquet and routinely behaves badly. He smashes tennis racquets, swears and sulks at press conferences.

The Australian isn’t simply a misguided 20-year-old trying to navigate the choppy waters of international sport. He’s a brat – granted, a talented one – who demands to be indulged.

There’s nothing remotely classy or clever about what he does and says.

Make no mistake, Mavericks in sport are welcome. Often, the more outrageous the better.

These are gifted athletes who participate with a cavalier spirit, often against the grain of convention. Locally, names that come to mind are James Small, Herschelle Gibbs and Benni McCarthy. Square pegs in round holes, they revelled in being contrary. They stuck out because of the tactical and cultural conservatism that permeates our sport. They dared to be different.

Small was the impish rebel, Gibbs was madness dressed in cricket clothes and McCarthy was the perennial bad boy who became the fat boy. And we adored them for their overpowering personalities and left-of-centre thinking.

Remarkably, I can’t think of a single local sportsman who fits the bill now. Safe, serious, staid is what’s rolled out. Too bad.

Mavericks abound in world sport. Muhammad Ali was the most outrageous of them all, blending immense personality with force of achievement. America took a while to warm to him, but pretty soon became hooked on his genius. Fast with his hands and fast with his mouth, Ali set the standard for all others.

Seve Ballesteros was only ever a maverick, bringing style and sass and an adventurer’s spirit to golf. Others have followed, not least cigar-toting Miguel Angel Jiminez, who clearly looks at the world through a lens different to any of us.

The biggest maverick in rugby is Australia’s Nick Cummins. In a world of anodyne media conferences and sound bites, he deserves to be honoured for his entertainment value. The “Honey Badger”, who wears a 1970s-styled headband à la JPR Williams, is a fantastic player and a mad-cap character. He’s also a font of zany quotes.

Try this lot for starters:

“He’s a pretty quick rooster alright” (on marking Springbok speedster Bryan Habana).

“You gotta be like a midget in a urinal, you gotta be on your toes.”

“I was busier than a one-armed bricklayer in Baghdad.”

“Sweating like a gypsy with a mortgage.”

That stuff is gold when you’re trying to market a sport, as rugby union is doing Down Under.

This week The Australian newspaper asked of Kyrgios “Breath of fresh air or total dickhead?”

It was a fair question because while sport desperately needs characters they shouldn’t be styled like the deluded Kyrgios.

John McEnroe straddled the fine line between maverick and moron, but we forgave him because it’s as if we saw ourselves in him. He was moody and petulant and challenged authority, but he brought flair and energy to tennis. There was ingenuity in his tart verbal blasts. He was crazier than a bucket of snakes, so anti-establishment, we couldn’t help but roar with laughter. He milked it for all it was worth.

He also backed it up by producing tennis that won seven majors.

There was an undeniable charm and style to McEnroe whereas there is none of that with the artless Kyrgios.

The same is true of Kevin Pietersen. No-one will deny his skill and shtick, but anyone who read his book can see there’s a malevolent edge to him. It’s fine to criticise and banter, but disloyalty and a duplicitous nature don’t belong in team sport.

It’s hard to warm to the Maritzburg old boy, who is too self-absorbed to know better.

Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather jnr is much the same. He’s so outrageously talented it’s almost as if another set of rules apply. When you factor in the assault charges and misogynistic behaviour, it’s pretty clear that he’s beyond the pale. Not much to like there.

The reason he’s got away with it for so long is because he’s royal game – no-one dare touch the most powerful figure in boxing.

Mavericks? Bring them on.

Idiots? No thanks. – © Sunday Tribune