Sport is often accused of existing in a parallel world where reality is subsumed to a heightened sense of drama and escapism.
At it’s most extreme I have seen sport credited with preventing major war in Europe for the past near 70 years by acting as an alternative outlet for nationalism.
Lacing a boot is certainly better than loading a gun when it comes to expressions of It is rivalry and feelings of national superiority but sometimes you wonder does the world of sport not lose sense of its own position in the greater scheme of things.
Bernie
Three sporting related stories this week have highlighted the fact that irony is sometimes passed over when certain decisions are being made. The first, widely reported, is F1 Chief Bernie Ecclestone’s payment of $100 Million dollars in a settlement to end his trial on charges of bribery is completely honest and above board.
It is a rule on the German statute books that such payment can be made to officially bring a trial to a close. Commentators have suggested the case was week and would almost certainly have collapsed so perhaps the payment of a large sum by an extremely wealthy man is best for society as a whole but it does little to enhance a sport in which Toyota, BMW and Honda have left in recent years, none of them to be replaced, and viewing figures around the world have declined by 30% over five years.
Betting
The second example in is the sometime crazy economic world of English soccer. Last weekend the FA formally introduced a global ban on soccer betting for any player, manager or official at a club in the top eight tiers of the English game.
The benefit in terms of perceived integrity is important at a time when the boss of the International Olympic Committee highlights match fixing as the biggest threat to global sport.
The irony though lies in the fact that every Premier League club and indeed the entire Football League itself relies to a heavy extent on sponsorship from the betting community. This is of course fully legal and betting as a form of entertainment has grown enormously, in most cases for the good of the game.
But if it is seen as damaging for players to bet then how long can the sponsorship status quo remain untouched?
William Hill recently announced revenues of £200 million from the World Cup, double what they were in 2010. This week Sky Bet which is the title sponsor of the second, third and fourth tiers of the game announced a promotion whereby the amount staked by fame would result in one club being gifted a transfer fund of £250,000 to spend in the January transfer window.
The timing is clearly good from the sponsors view as it raises debate such as this but the suspension of logic required by fans is perhaps being stretched a little thin.
Blackout
Finally, and closer to home the GAA failed yesterday in its efforts to bring an end to Armagh’s media blackout introduced two months ago over perceived media influence on the sports disciplinary process involving three players from the county.
Media blackouts serve little purpose and ultimately affect the fans more than anyone else. Silence can at times be golden but not when you are on a run where fans are hungry for every morsel and tidbit of gossip and information. Players profiles will miss out on the rise they would get through their success and in a fleeting world of transient success for many this will be as good as it gets from a lifetime to date of endeavour and dedication.
The irony exists primarily though in the shape of the Armagh County Board’s sponsor which is Rainbow Communications. One wonders has the thought crossed the minds of those behind the ban how a company that trades in the provision of services that enable people communicate with each other would feel about being deprived of the ability to fully promote their service…
