Rugby great Brian O'Driscoll today received an honorary doctorate in philosophy from Dublin City University. The Doctorate of Philosophy is the highest award the college can bestow and he was honoured along with other Irish sporting greats, cyclist Sean Kelly and Olympic champion Katie Taylor.
O'Driscoll was introduced to the audience as Dr. Brian to which he responded, "Dr Brian O'Driscoll - that's really bizarre" but later quipped that when he goes to training today he "absolutely expects for them (his team mates) to call me Dr. O'Driscoll"
O'Driscoll is undoubtedly an Irish sporting icon, the same can be said for Taylor and Kelly, but the awarding of degrees from an academic university, especially in something like Philosophy, seems a small bit strange to say the least.
O'Driscoll receives, and deserves, huge praise and hero worship for his exploits on the rugby pitch. Do we really need to give our sporting stars awards outside their area of expertise that normally take years of hard work and dedication to achieve?
Possibly, but at least sports writers across the country will now have an updated nickname for him, all hail DOC BOD.
