AFTER tackling the existence of god, the compatibility of Islam and democracy and human rights in China, Sydney's IQ2 debate series was ready for a change of pace last night.

What it delivered was a contest worthy of a week nestled between two grand finals.

The proposition that "for a sporting nation we're not very sporting" had considerable support among the audience at City Recital Hall before the debate, but by the end the all-star line-up of Adam Gilchrist, Peter FitzSimons and Adam Spencer had changed their minds.

The final result of 52 per cent to 45 per cent was a 10-point reversal of the pre-debate poll and came after a contest that contained plenty of fireworks.

Like Brett Lee in a Boxing Day Test, the Monash University sociologist Brett Hutchins opened the bowling in deadly fashion, picking apart the behaviour of some of our most famous sports stars.

"We've got Lleyton Hewitt, whose courtside expletives and outbursts are explained by the fact that he is 'so competitive' … then there's the Australian cricket team and its penchant for 'mental disintegration'. I don't adhere to the view that sports people should be role models, mainly because they don't appear to be appropriately cut out for the role," Dr Hutchins said.

If anyone was going to throw the willow it was Adam Gilchrist. The former Australian vice-captain cut hard with a series of anecdotes and stories to exemplify our sporting nature, including a defence of his former skipper.

"What many don't know about the captain of the Australian cricket team is that before every Test Ricky Ponting asks the opposing captain whether he is willing to take the technology out of the game by agreeing on the fielder's word on close catches," he said.

Gideon Haigh was as scathing as Gilchrist was affable, presenting a black-armband view of our sporting past, from discrimination in the amateur years to the cash-obsessed footballers of today.

The Herald columnist and former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons replied by asking why his opponent didn't "wipe his nose with the Australian flag".

In the final throws, broadcasters Tracey Holmes and Adam Spencer tried to convince the audience; the former appealing to their compassion and the latter to their collective sense of humour. "We may not be candidates for the Nobel Peace prize, but we're really not that bad," Spencer said.