The tradition of sport having a relaxing effect is not a new one. On Christmas Day in 1914, a simple game of football was able to bring together fighting German and British troops for a temporary ceasefire. Nothing captures quite how transformative sport can be quite like that does. Therefore, today, as we live through…
Sport
Why England’s cricketers have a right to feel insecure about their bio-secure bubbles
The England cricket team have become accustomed to travelling around the world, spending weeks and months in the sub-continent, miles away from home, in order to play the sport that they love at the highest level. However, before the coronavirus pandemic, players would have family and friends visit and could unwind during their downtime, in…
Sport
Quit before you’re behind: Why more should be done to prevent gambling addictions in sport
Gambling has the highest suicide rate of any addiction. Let that sink in. More than smoking. More than alcohol. More than drugs. People who get addicted to gambling can feel as if they have dug themselves a hole that is just too deep, off the back of placing a losing streak of high-stake bets. It…
Sport
Keep it off me head son!
Usually I only hear mention of head injuries in football when people say I must have one for supporting Arsenal. The Gunners recently played Wolves and the unnerving sound of David Luiz and Raúl Jiménez’s heads coming together sent shockwaves through the footballing world. We know now that Jiménez is in hospital recovering from a…
Sport
The battle of the EPLs
Recently, news of plans for a European Premier League have emerged, with a financial package of almost £5 billion being assembled to form the potential breakaway competition. Unlike previous proposals for a European Super League, this idea is planned to work alongside the English Premier League. Nevertheless, whether or not the two competitions can work…
Sport
History made: The first all-Black officiating team in the NFL
Monday Night Football on the 24th November saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the Los Angeles Rams. However, it was not the play of the teams that night that will forever go down in NFL history. For the first time in the National Football League’s history, an all-Black officiating crew worked a game….
Sport
Why diving isn’t worth making a song and dance about
Erik Lamela’s theatrical reaction to Anthony Martial’s flick to his face in the Tottenham-Manchester United game in October provides a useful case study for the problems with diving and exaggeration in football. Graeme Souness described Lamela’s display as ‘very Latin’ – a remark for which he was later accused of xenophobic stereotyping. However, I believe…
Sport
Tranquility in Victory: How Mercedes Are Rewriting Formula One’s Record Books
It is hardly surprising that Mercedes’ record-breaking seventh consecutive Constructors’ Title was accompanied by an ongoing curiosity of what makes the Brackley squad unbeaten in Formula One’s new V6 hybrid era. Historically, there has been a tendency to link any sports team’s performance to an individual or a group of individuals in the management. Ferrari’s…
Sport
The men of a thousand faces
If any of the Welsh 2016 European Championship squad are reading this and take issue, my editor can give you my details. Ovie Ejeheri, Arsenal’s highly-rated young goalkeeper has three nations competing for his gloves: England, Nigeria and Uganda. Ovie himself was born in England, yet his father is Nigerian and his mother Ugandan. As…
Latest Comments