So here’s the question I put to the 2005 twin spear tackling duo, Tana Umaga and Kevin Mealamu (the latter has just been banned), and to the infamous 1978 diver (former World Rugby Cup ambassador), Andy Haden – would you want your child to behave similarly? Would it make you proud of your children? That [...]
Saracen Applauds Leinster after Heineken Cup clash
England captain, Steve Borthwick, and his band of defeated Saracens walked dejectedly around Wembley Stadium applauding their 45,000 fans last Saturday. When they came to Leinster’s 1500 fans, Borthwick looked up and applauded them too. A nice moment, from a nice club. Their fans wear those funny Fez hats and their mascot rode a chariot [...]
Does The Ryder Cup Unveil Real Sportsmanship? Part 2
Continuing from part 1 where I revealed Arnold Palmer’s vision of getting war lords to play golf & a non Ryder Cup, yet golf supremo’s, approach to making the world a better place, here is that Ryder Cup moment that still mesmerises us all…(plus a few more)…………. Ryder Cup 1969: Then came that magical moment [...]
Will Ryder Cup Unveil Real Sportsmanship?
Golf is a unique sport. You play against yourself. The ball is static and no one is tackling, pushing or kicking you. Its core values are honesty and honour. It has given a great gift to the world – that of heightened sports etiquette. Witness the recent case of 31 year old Londoner playing on [...]
India and Pakistan Play For Peace
Here is a truly beautiful sportsmanship story. When sport transcends the problems which people, and even whole nations, sometimes have. Yesterday India and Pakistan came together and played together in the Men’s Doubles Final in the US Open. They played to win, and even more importantly, in their own words, they played for peace. India’s [...]
A Virtual Tour of the Newest Stadium in the Oldest Venue
The oldest international rugby venue in the world, Lansdowne Road, and its brand new 51,700 all-seater Aviva Stadium opened its doors to the world on Saturday 31 July 2010. Here is my virtual tour as I sat in awe of this wonderful new stadium. One wonders what historic moments in rugby and football (soccer) will [...]
He missed 3 penalties in one match but never gave up.
He missed 3 penalties playing for Argentina against Colombia. He scored a goal in the next game. He broke his leg while celebrating a goal for Villa Real. He scored a goal from inside his own half. His injuries kept him out of football twice for 6 month periods. His 200th goal for Boca Juniors [...]
We knew we were part of the universe of footballers (Part 2)
(Continued from Part 1 where a wonderful BBC World Cup short documentary revealed why football is so important in South Africa). As the Robben Island prisoners’ football league, the Makana Football Association, blossomed, the imprisoned players realised how important football was to them (for reasons that will surprise you). The MFA is said to have [...]
We knew we were part of the universe of footballers (part 1)
The World Cup is up and running. Teams are swapping shirts, shaking hands and some nice celebrations (so far the South African’s opening goal celebration is top of the ‘joyous goal scoring celebrations chart’). So far so good. Just a few divers who were publicly shamed in front of worldwide tv audiences as the referees [...]
Where Are The World Cup Sportsmanship Heroes?
As hundreds of millions of us sit down to a feast of football, who will stand out as a real champion of football? Who will light up the World Cup with a smile (remember Pele’s smile) instead of a raging roar of aggression? Or maybe a dance (Peter Crouch’s Robot Dance or the 42 year [...]
