Category: Sport
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A Very Modern Decathlon: Who Would Win the ‘Whole Person’ Olympic Gold?
One of the things I liked about Tom Wolfe’s novel I Am Charlotte Simmons is the journey that one of the main characters, Jojo, takes, from ‘dumb college jock’ to athletic student of philosophy. It’s an arc that’s not that uncommon: the pursuit of excellence in sport requires careful reflection on the self; top…
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‘The Referee’s a W*nker!’ | Sport and Divine Violence
April is the cruelest month… Easter always coincides with the culmination of the football season in Europe, and a number of things have been leading me to think about the nature of sports and games and their connection to aggression and violence. Enlightened religion is very big on peace and harmony, but I’ve begun to question…
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The Gods Stoop to Touch Us | Loving David Beckham | Pete Ward’s New Book
Very interesting story creeping up the ‘most read’ lists on the BBC today: David Beckham stopped to help someone who’s car had broken down on the A10. The man blessed by this appearance professed to be ‘in absolute awe’ that Beckham himself had stooped to help him when his Nissan Primera broke down: He asked…
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Sexism in Sport | The Imbalance of Power
Superb coverage and analysis in The Guardian today over the sacking of Andy Gray – the Sky Sports football pundit who was recorded making disgusting remarks ‘off-air’ about a female match official and lewd ‘banter’ with a female co-presenter. It’s clear that he and Richard Keys were both disliked within the production team, and someone…