Bitesize Rants #4: The Self-Aggrandisement of Olympic Athletes

Let me preface this rant by saying I'm a big fan of the Olympics as a concept. Amateur sportsmen and women given the opportunity to compete on a large stage is an excellent idea, and one we should be fully behind. I was also against the inclusion of professionals in the competition, like we've seen from football, tennis and now golf in recent years.

However, as the exposure to athletics has become ever more significant, the egos on many of the Olympic athletes seem to have grown larger and larger. From a competition based on demonstrating one's amateur athletic ability for no profit (an admirable accomplishment), Olympic athletes have now become so accustomed to the celebrity and pageantry around the event that they seem to expect this each time, raking in sponsorship money galore (as well as money from the taxpayer to fund what is supposed to be their hobby!).

The tag of the Olympics as the 'Greatest show on Earth' has further heightened this feeling of superiority, and I'll highlight a key example from this year. Over the last few months, fears around the Zika virus have been highlighted as the cause of many pro golfers and tennis players pulling out. Cue widespread backlash from existing Olympic athletes, with names like Louis Smith and Rebecca Adlington mocking their decision and citing this tag of the Olympics being a higher level of competition than anything else.

When you consider the reasons for the withdrawal, it is simply ridiculous. We have all seen the horrific pictures of the impact of the Zika virus, and any athlete that fears for their safety should feel well within their rights to withdraw, regardless of what other athletes feel about the competition!

It’s also not like the Olympics are squeaky clean. Like my previous post on MMA, the Olympics have not been without their own drug scandals. Whether it's Ben Johnson, Linford Christie or the entire Russian team, performance enhancers have been endemic in athletic competition over the past 20 years.

This latter problem is by no means sorted, and athletes should be careful of throwing stones, especially from the greenhouses they currently live in.

My message to the Olympics and Olympians worldwide: put in place a rigorous drug testing and punishment system, go back to wholly amateur competition, and stop inflating the heads of your athletes.

Bitesize Rants #1 (Revisited): Football Hooliganism and EURO 2016

My post on football hooliganism couldn’t have been more aptly timed. The levels of violence witnessed in French cities over the last couple of weeks has been shocking, and some of the videos of English and Russians in Marseille doing the rounds on Twitter were absolutely abhorrent.

Before we rush to judge fans from either of these nations as the sole perpetrators of this behaviour, it is worth noting that this is not an isolated incident. During this tournament alone, there have been reports of fighting by Welsh, Irish and Croatian fans.

This builds on my previous post on the Respect campaign in the UK, which is actually part of a wider movement created by UEFA in 2008, designed to 'work towards unity and respect across gender, race, religion and ability'. So far, it has consisted of a video where different people say 'No to Racism' in various languages, which does nothing but demonstrate that there are some weird looking footballers of all races (which I suppose is equality!). 

But I digress. My main point is that, just as with the UK, it doesn't appear to be working. Now some may suggest that this is still just a minority, and while that is true, it doesn't detract from the fact that this is happening just as much (if not more) than it was 10 or 15 years ago.

So what can be done? Well, first of all, UEFA need to be strong and make good on their threats. This 'suspended ban' stuff is laughable, and for two reasons. Firstly, because I can make a strong bet that the majority of those guilty of this violence couldn’t care less about the football, or their team, and have only turned up to fight.

Secondly, because this punishment means precisely nothing. I understand jurisdictional issues, but I refuse to believe that the French are saying that UEFA are not allowed to punish! It just makes a mockery of the penal system, and demonstrates the weakness of the organisation.

So a tip to UEFA – if you want to say you have a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on anything, please actually stick to it. Stop making pointless videos and get rid of those hooligans that have turned up just to fight. And to those English ‘fans’ that are guilty of this, I wish our jurisdiction allowed us to refuse you entry back.

Bitesize Rants #3: Rival Relegation

I felt it was strange that the cheers on Wearside were louder for Newcastle’s demise than the fact that they had managed to secure survival.

As a Manchester City fan for as long as I can remember, I can certainly admit to a bit of schaedenfreude when it comes to the team from Salford – I have certainly enjoyed them being knocked off their pedestal over the last five years or so as the blues have made their meteoric rise.

This feeling of satisfaction comes from a generation of oppression and domination by the red half of the city. My memories of the competition between the two growing up was interspersed between regular relegations for my side, and when they did take to the pitch together, all too often there was only going to be one outcome. Needless to say, it made my school days at times difficult as I tried to defend myself from the merciless mickey-taking!

However, as City have embarked on a revolutionary journey in recent years, the balance has shifted, and until recently, had been on an eight match winning streak against United. In the most recent games between the pair, they have established an extremely healthy competition, with both trading victories and creating interesting and balanced matches. As a result, while I’d never actively wish success on them, I think I’d miss the competition and local intrigue created if they were relegated.

That’s why I don’t understand it in the rivalry between Newcastle and Sunderland. Having lived in the North East for three years, I experienced the strength of feeling between the two cities, and the rivalry on the pitch. However, unlike the city of Manchester derby, there has been no one side that has historically dominated in their rivalry, never mind English football, and therefore fans cannot point to years of humiliation and oppression for their reason behind wishing the other was relegated.

In my eyes, no derby means less excitement for the rest of the season, so while Sunderland fans can celebrate the relegation of the Magpies for the moment, I’m sure even the most hardcore of fans will find next year more boring as a result.