Highlights of 2009: Murray Wins Under Lights at Wimbledon

The roof would ruin the atmosphere, it would change the nature of grass court tennis, it would make life difficult for the players, Andy Murray didn’t like it either. One dramatic late-evening fourth-round match later, only Murray and a few traditionalists were left grumbling, as a new Wimbledon tradition was born. Murray’s win over Stanislas Wawrinka finished at 10:38pm, with 12 million viewers on BBC television, and many more around the world.

Murray serving under the new roof on Centre Court

The new roof somehow added something to the atmosphere, building a sense of occasion, as the lights lit up the court, whilst the rest of SW19 lay in darkness. We can expect many more of these nights to come, but this will always be remembered as the start, and the All England Club deserve credit for being proactive and forward thinking, something they are not always associated with.

Highlights of the Decade: Round-up 2

The Guardian has published its complete list of the decade's highlights, sport by sport.

Highlights of 2009: Super Bowl XLIII

Super Bowl XLIII was a clash of the haves and have-nots of the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers are NFL royalty, with five previous titles illuminating a proud history as one of the most popular and best-run franchises in the sport. The Arizona Cardinals’ peripatetic history had seen them based in three different cities, and fail to win to much as a division title since 1975, testament to mismanagement on and off the field. However, the 2008 Cardinals were a different beast, and entering January 2009 and the postseason, they surprised their opponents at every turn, marching through the playoffs at the expense of more fancied opponents.

The Super Bowl itself was a classic (click here for highlights). The Steelers took a commanding first half 17-7 lead thanks in part to the longest play in Super Bowl history: a breathless, lung-bursting 100 yard interception return by the league’s defensive MVP, James Harrison, who spent much of the next half hour breathing from an oxygen mask to recover. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was also playing with assurance, his performance a long way removed from the nervy second-year player whose team won a title in spite of him three years prior.

An exhuasted James Harrison lies prostrate after his record-breaking 100 yard touchdown

The Cardinals did not look like a team who were outclassed however, and following a cagey third quarter, they came roaring back with a stunning fourth quarter fightback. Quarterback Kurt Warner, playing out another chapter in a fairytale career that took him from stocking shelves in a supermarket, to winning a Super Bowl for the St Louis Rams, then on to being an unwanted injury-prone backup, and now finally back to another Super Bowl, found Larry Fitzgerald, the breakout star of the year, who showed both sides to his scoring threat. First, Warner hit Fitzgerald for a leaping touchdown catch over the coverage, bringing the score back to 20-14.

Then, following a 2-point safety thanks to strong defense from the Cardinals, Warner picked out Fitzgerald in midfield, who showed the other side to his play, scorching away from defenders to complete a 63-yard touchdown and give his side the lead with less than three minutes remaining. Arizona were on the verge of history.

Fitzgerald celebrates his second touchdown

Pittsburgh got the ball back on their own 22-yard line with 2:37 and two timeouts left in the game. Despite at one stage facing 1st and 20, Roethlisberger did what he does best, especially behind a weak offensive line, rolling out of the pocket, extending the play, and waiting for his receivers to get open. Four times he found Santonio Holmes, as the Steelers marched downfield. With 43 seconds remaining, Roethlisberger looked to his right and fired a pinpoint pass over three defenders to a point where only Holmes could possibly reach it. Holmes leapt at full stretch, and grabbed the ball whilst managing to get his feet down and inside the end zone for the touchdown. The scoring drive had covered 78 yards in eight plays, with Holmes, the game's MVP, responsible for four of them, totalling 73 yards.

Holmes plucks Roethlisberger's pass from the air for the winning score

The Cardinals now had only 35 seconds left to find a winning score, but with eight seconds remaining, Pittsburgh’s league-leading defense came to the fore, with Lamarr Woodley sacking Warner, and team-mate Brett Keisel recovering the fumble to secure the 27-23 win for the Steelers.

In a decade that has seen some fantastic Super Bowls, this was one of the best. Momentum swung one way and then the other, and right up until the final seconds, no-one could be sure who would win. There were spectacular scores, fantastic defense, and great stories all over the pitch. Whilst it was sad for the Cardinals, who had instilled pride in a franchise that had been a joke for years, and for Kurt Warner, whose 377 passing yards was the second most of all time, behind his own record of 414, and ahead of himself again in third place, the Steelers fully deserved their own piece of history, becoming the first side to win six Super Bowls, and reminding fans why they are one of America’s best loved sports teams.

(For extended stylised highlights, click here, well worth 20 minutes of your time)

Highlights of 2009: Button and Brawn's Remarkable Turnaround

5 December 2008: Honda announces its withdrawal from Formula One for financial reasons, throwing the team’s future in doubt. The announcement probably comes too late for either of the team’s drivers, Rubens Barrichello or Jenson Button, to secure a competitive drive for the following season.

6 March 2009: Ross Brawn, the team’s technical director, announces that he has bought the team, renamed Brawn GP. Button and Barrichello will drive cars powered by Mercedes engines.

27 March 2009: Following complaints from other teams, the FIA investigates whether the rear diffuser used by Brawn and two other teams is illegal, and rejects the claims. The protesting teams, Ferrari, Renault and Red Bull, lodge an appeal.

28 March 2009: Brawn secure both places on the front row of the grid for the opening Grand Prix of the season in Australia, with Button, who has underachieved up to this point in his career, despite much-hype, taking his fourth ever pole, his first since 2006.
Team announces major sponsorship deal with Richard Branson’s Virgin.

Ross Brawn alongside team sponsor Richard Branson

29 March 2009: Brawn becomes the first constructor in over 50 years to secure pole position and a win in its first Grand Prix, as Button and Barrichello finish in first and second.
The team announces heavy job losses in order to cut costs, making more than a third of its staff redundant.

5 April 2009: Malaysian Grand Prix is abandoned after 31 laps with Button leading. He is awarded the win and half points, as the race did not go the full distance.

15 April 2009: FIA court rules that the controversial rear diffuser is legal. Brawn’s results stand.

19 April 2009: Barrichello starts on pole position in China, with Button second. The Englishman finishes third in the race, with his Brazilian team-mate fourth.

7 June 2009: In Turkey, Button secures his sixth win out of seven races, opening up a 16-point Drivers’ Championship lead over Barrichello.

21 June 2009: Button struggles at the British Grand Prix, finishing sixth.

18 October 2009: Button wins the Driver’s Championship, his first, by finishing fifth in Brazil, opening up an unassailable 15-point advantage over Sebastian Vettel with one race to go. Brawn secures the Constructor’s Championship, in only its first season in existence.

Button celebrates his title win in Brazil

16 November 2009: Mercedes announces that it has bought Brawn GP, which will be renamed, meaning that Brawn will be unique in winning the title in its only season, leaving with an 100% championship success rate, and a 47.05% race success rate (8 wins in 17).

18 November 2009: Jenson Button signs for McLaren, where he will race alongside 2008 world champion, Lewis Hamilton, a man to whom Button had been previously been unfavourably compared to due to years of underachievement and Hamilton’s remarkable success in his first two seasons in the sport.

Highlights of 2009: England's win at Lords

The odds were against England before the second Ashes test match at Lords. In the twentieth century, England had only beaten Australia there once, in 1934. In the twenty-first century, England had lost two out of two at Lords to Australia, even in the historic Ashes win of 2005 a win at the home of cricket proved one curse too many in a series where curses had been lifted one after the other. England had been hammered in the first test at Cardiff, their bowling appeared impotent and their batting lacked the assurance of their Australian counterparts, only hanging on for a draw by the narrowest of margins. On the eve of the test, England’s talismanic all-rounder, Andrew Flintoff announced that he would be retiring from test matches at the end of the series.

Strauss led by example on day one

Yet from the moment Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat, everything went right for him, and by the end of the match, the captain was building a reputation as a different kind of talisman to Flintoff, as he and Alistair Cook scored a record-breaking 196 runs for the first wicket. Whilst the Australians did fight back, the English bowlers followed their captain’s example, and swung their way through a batting line-up that had appeared untouchable days earlier. In the second innings, all the English batsmen pitched in, and left the visitors with an unprecedented 522-run deficit.

From this point onwards, it became Flintoff’s test match. In the cold light of day, his career was never quite the success it might have been. For three years from 2003, he was the finest all-rounder in the world, but injuries restricted him outside of that period, and even at his peak, he never quite accumulated the runs, and particularly the wickets that one might have expected. However, given the fitness problems that would dog him for the rest of the summer, Lords would turn out to be his final moment of glory, and what a moment it was. He may not have been consistent throughout his career, but Flintoff always had a knack of coming to the fore at the crucial moment. A vicious opening spell of fast bowling took 2 for 9, removed both openers and put the visitors on the back foot. When the other bowlers could not match him, Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin led an impressive Australian rearguard action that created the smallest glimmer of hope for their team, but the following morning, with history to be made one way or the other, Flintoff removed Haddin. Graeme Swann then dismissed Clarke, and Flintoff took two more wickets to secure a five-wicket haul and a place on the Lords honours board, leaving Swann to wrap up the victory.

Flintoff enjoying one final moment of history

The bare facts do not do justice to Flintoff’s effort however. He was not really fit to play by this stage, bowling through an injury that should have put him on the sidelines, and yet he was not going to let the pain deny him his moment. Pushing himself through a hostile and focused ten-over spell, he created a bittersweet spectacle for England fans: a glorious moment of sporting pleasure; but also a moment that had come too infrequently, and which would surely never be seen again. For that afternoon however, the cricket world belonged to Andrew Flintoff for one last time, and it was fitting that he used it to make his mark on history, breaking England’s curse at Lords.

Highlights of the Decade: Best of the Press

A round up of various end of the decade lists:

Deadspin's best pieces of American sports writing of the decade.

The Guardian picks its six best moments, six best footballers, six best goals and top ten rugby matches. The paper also takes a fascinating and damning look at the state of English football's finances over the last ten years.

Comedian and Cricinfo blogger, Andy Zaltzman gives part one of his cricketing highlights.

NFL Network runs down the top ten performances of the decade.

Highlights of 2009: England Qualify for the World Cup

The remarkable thing about England’s qualification for the World Cup was just how unremarkable it was. Fabio Capello sternly looked on as the side won their group with ease, only finally losing a game after qualification was wrapped up. Along the way every box was ticked. Qualification? Check. Exorcising the demons from the traumatic defeat to Croatia in 2007? Check. Come away free from major injuries, free from scandal, and with a good idea of the first choice eleven? Check. Find a way to fit Gerrard and Lampard into the same team whilst getting the best from them? Check.

Capello overseeing an England training session in July this year

The whole process was disconcertingly simple for England fans used to an emotional roller coaster ride. Even qualification specialist Sven-Göran Eriksson never made it this easy.

Of course, all of this means nothing without a strong performance in South Africa next year, and for a major footballing nation, anything less than a win will hurt. Moreover, although Capello knows most of his first choice team, he still has a couple of positions to decide on, most notably the goalkeeper. However, these are problems for 2010. In 2009, Capello and England did all that was asked of them, and did it better than anyone could have hoped for. There are sterner challenges ahead, but if nothing else, Capello with his presence and his calm command of his charges, has restored dignity to the England team, and to the post of manager, and after the debacle of the failure to qualify for Euro 2008, that is all any fan could have hoped for.

Highlights of 2009: Usain Bolt

In an era of international multi-channel TV, wall-to-wall press complete with pull-out supplements, up-to-the-minute internet news, video on demand, and all the other trappings of modern media coverage, sports events are covered in more detail than ever before. Whereas once a sporting event was a one-off, not repeated, now each event is broadcast and re-broadcast, analysed and discussed at length. When something special happens, it is seen by hundreds of millions around the world.

This means that it is now a rare sporting event that truly takes the breath away. Some are special, and live long in the memory, but few truly stun. Fans have seen seemingly unbreakable records broken, underdogs overcome the most improbable odds, and stars fall from grace and then return when all seemed lost. They know all the sporting narratives, and can see them coming a mile off.

Yet 2009 brought at least two moments that genuinely took the breath away, that made fans all around the world turn to each other to check that their eyes did not deceive them. Both moments came within days of each other, and belonged to one man, Usain Bolt.

It did not matter that the tall Jamaican had performed this feat in Beijing twelve months before, when he joyfully shattered world records in the 100 and 200 metres on his way to seemingly effortless wins. As the final of the 100 metres at this summer's World Championships in Berlin approached, most expected Bolt to win, and a world record seemed a distinct possibility. That he achieved these was not a surprise. It was the margin of the victory and the record, the nonchalance with which Bolt seemed to do it. Eleven hundredths of a second came off a record that had itself seemed unbelievable in China the year before. His rival, Tyson Gay, ran the third fastest time in history, yet had to settle for silver, and hardly a mention in the media.

Bolt making history again in the 100 metres final

Days later, with anticipation at an even higher level after his masterclass in the 100 metres, Bolt repeated the feat in the 200 metres, again taking eleven hundredths off his own record.

Bolt's remarkable rise has inevitably, and rightly, raised doubts. In this day and age, can one man really break those records without some form of cheating, whether it be steroids, blood doping, or something else that the testers have yet to discover? So far however, Bolt appears clean, and there has been no cause for suspicion, other than his success. Time should tell however, it usually does.

It is a sign of how remarkable his achievements are however, that he has single-handedly revived interest in athletics. With viewing figures down, the sport's credibility damaged by a string of scandals, the IAAF have been plotting ways to rejuvenate the sport with shorter-format events inspired by the likes of Twenty20 cricket and other innovations. Whilst these will still go ahead, Bolt has proven that the biggest draw to any sport is drama and spectacle, and so long as he keeps winning titles in his trademark laid-back style, the fans will keep coming back, if only to see just how fast he can go.

NFL: Highlights of the Decade

NFL Total Access have been unveiling some end of the decade lists. Here are their best games and moments.

The list of games seems reasonable, but there are some oddities on the moments list, notably the Matt Stafford touchdown and the Patriots fourth down failure, but both happened this year, so benefitted from the usual prejudice towards more recent events. No question that the Favre moment at number two deserves to be there though. See what you think.

Highlights of 2009: England and Australia draw in Cardiff

With numerous end of the year and end of the decade lists floating around, it is time for Corinthian Spirit to jump on the bandwagon with its moments of 2009 and of the decade. Keep an eye out for these between now and 31 December, and to get the ball rolling, here is a highlight from 2009.

For English sports fans there was no bigger event in 2009 than the Ashes, and what a start the series got off to in the unlikely setting of Cardiff. No-one knew what to expect from the series, with an Australian team full of unfamiliar faces arriving on these shores, whilst England were still rebuilding following a winter of discontent. Predictions before the series covered all eventualities.

Both sides take the field on day one

The first four days were enjoyable, albeit unremarkable. England posted a reasonable score on a dry and dusty wicket, before Australia batted superbly to make England’s total look inferior, and their bowling impotent. Then came day five, which showed that test cricket, under attack from Twenty20, still has the power to grip like no other. England collapsed, surely spelling defeat. Then Paul Collingwood dug in, shepherding the lower middle order and the tail, all of whom made small but valuable contributions. Collingwood’s resistance typified his entire career: endeavour and fight over talent, as more gifted, but less reliable batsmen came and went.

When Collingwood was finally removed after 344 minutes, there were still over 11 overs left in the day, and only James Anderson and Monty Panesar stood between Australia and first blood in the series. Panesar, picked for his bowling on a spinner’s wicket, had been a disappointment, and had shown little aptitude with the bat throughout his career. Yet from somewhere, he and Anderson found reserves of concentration. As each ball, and then each over passed, Australian frustration grew, not helped by English time-wasting tactics. Meanwhile, England’s fans, who had earlier written their side off, were bit by bit, ball by ball, daring to hope again. As the hope rose however, so did the tension. What had seemed like a foregone conclusion was now a real contest.

When the end came, there was relief and frustration depending on where you looked. Against the odds, a couple of English underdogs had survived, despite their team mates’ failings. Test cricket had produced another classic encounter that would live long in the memory. The fuss and speculation about the finale would run for days, and the English had scored an improbable psychological blow, as their opponents seemed confused about their inability to find a knock-out punch. It set up cricket fans around the world for another series that would fascinate, and like this match, go right to the wire.

Cricket: Shane Bond

When Shane Bond announced his retirement from test cricket this week, it brought to an end a career that despite lasting eight years, only saw him play 18 matches, and never saw him fulfil his considerable talent, arguably through no fault of his own.

After a slow start to his professional career, only emerging after a stint as a policeman, Bond burst onto the international scene against Steve Waugh’s dominant Australia side in 2001-02, and immediately showed that he had the pace and class to be a match-winner against the best batting line-up in the world, as the Kiwis shocked their hosts and the South Africans in the one-day series. It was largely the same story whenever he took the field for his country, as Bond was arguably the premier fast bowler in the world when active, in a decade when there was ultimately a distinct lack of genuine pace bowlers of real quality. Witness his 6 for 22 against the Australians in the 2003 World Cup, a tournament they otherwise dominated, or his 13 wickets in the 2007 tournament.

Bond bowling in the 2007 World Cup: an all too rare sight

Nonetheless, his chances of making a lasting impression on the game were ultimately stymied by injuries and politics. Injuries largely removed him from international cricket from 2003 to 2005, and following a successful comeback against Zimbabwe that year, taking 13 wickets at 9.23, including 10 for 99 in the second test, he was again injured for another nine months. Various other injuries restricted him until 2008 when he signed up with the rebel Indian Cricket League, recognising that his was never going to be a long career, and that he needed to gain what financial security he could from it. Pressure from the Indian board (BCCI) meant that he was excluded from appearing for New Zealand throughout this time, a ludicrous position which deprived cricket fans around the world from seeing arguably the best fast bowler of the era in his prime.

Released by the ICL, Bond returned to New Zealand colours this year, and after another match-winning appearance against Pakistan, taking 5 for 107 and 3 for 46 in a 32 run win, he broke down again, and like Andrew Flintoff, came to the realisation that his body was not up to the rigours of test cricket.

Bond celebrates a wicket against Sri Lanka

Bond will continue to play limited overs cricket for his country, and will hopefully showcase his talent on that stage for a few more years, but it is sad that the best years of his talent were lost to injury, and absurd that nearly two of them were lost in order to protect the commercial interests of the BCCI. Perhaps the saddest fact of all is that no-one appeared to be protecting the best interests of Shane Bond, the New Zealand team, or cricket fans around the world.

Rugby: Shaun Edwards on Refereeing and the Laws

Shaun Edwards' weekly column in The Guardian is always informed and interesting, and this week, he reflects on the positive outcome of a slight change of emphasis in refereeing during last weekend's Heineken Cup ties.

Wales, Wasps and Lions coach, Shaun Edwards

In the last few months, there has been a campaign in favour of changing the laws of rugby to encourage a more open game, a campaign led by many of the same people who objected to changing the laws when the ELVs were introduced last year. However, there is a strong argument that there is not that much wrong with the laws as they stand, and that apart from a little tweaking, all that is needed is a change in emphasis, and for one or two trend-setting sides to be more expansive. All sports teams copy each other to some degree, and the minute one side has some success whilst running the ball more, others will follow. For this to happen, all it will take is for the benefit of the doubt to shift to the player taking the ball into contact, and put more onus on the tackler to get away, and gradually the game will open up again.

The recent Barbarians match showed that attacking rugby is still possible

What the ELVs proved was that by the time a problem in the laws has been identified and a solution devised, trialled and introduced, the game will probably have moved on again anyway. The ELVs were designed to reflect perceived flaws in the game around the time of the 2003 World Cup, but by the time they came in, tactics had evolved, and they already seemed dated (although they were flawed anyway). Far better to give the game a chance to sort itself out, and only change the laws if the situation is not improving. It is only a small improvement, but if Edwards is right, and last weekend did see a shift in attitudes, then hopefully by this time next year, we will no longer debating whether rugby is boring or not.

Great Sporting Nicknames: Crazylegs Hirsch

The first subject in a possible series of posts on great sporting nicknames, Elroy 'Crazylegs' Hirsch was a Hall of Fame NFL star of the 1940s and 50s. So named because of his unique running style (you can see a couple of short clips of him here), which first garnered attention whilst he was a star of the equally fantastically named Wisconsin Badgers, Hirsch has recently been back in the news thanks to current Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who has tied his record for eight scoring catches of 50-plus yards in a season.

DeSean Jackson

I can't think of too many nicknames that are going to be better than 'Crazylegs'. Five's NFL pundit, Mike Carlson, never misses a chance to bring him up in conversation, and you can understand why.

The Top Earners in Sport

Sport Magazine, a free publication distributed around London (and possibly beyond) recently ran a list of the top-earning sportsmen (and they are all men), based on annual earnings, and it made for interesting reading.

1 Tiger Woods - £59.3m
2 Phil Mickelson - £31.6m
3 David Beckham – £26.9m
4 LeBron James - £ 25.3m
5 Kimi Raikkonen - £23.9m
6 Manny Pacquiao - £23.8m
7 Lionel Messi - £23.7m
8 Alex Rodriguez - £23.3m
9 Valentino Rossi - £20.9m
9 Fernando Alonso - £20.9m
9 Shaquille O’Neal - £20.9m
12 Kevin Garnett - £20.7m
13 Yao Ming - £19.7m
14 Lewis Hamilton – £19.6m
15 Kobe Bryant - £18.6m
16 Roger Federer - £17.6m
17 Allen Iverson - £17.3m
18 Vijay Singh – 17.1m
19 Derek Jeter - £16.9m
20 Ronaldinho - £16.3m

Although you would expect many of those sportsmen to be on the list (compiled from Sports Illustrated’s figures), it did hold a couple of surprises, the main one being the dominance of basketball, with six representatives. Kevin Garnett, a difference-making player in the NBA, but not that well-known outside of the sport, and left out of the most recent US Olympic team, ranks above a global superstar in Roger Federer. Given that the NBA has a salary cap, whereas European football does not, it is surprising that there are not more footballers on the list, especially given their international appeal, and one would expect the likes of Ronaldo and Kaka to figure in future lists. Basketball however, is a truly international sport these days, with a strong following in Europe and South America, whilst the NBA is increasingly multinational in its make-up. Indeed, perhaps one would have expected Yao Ming to be higher on the list, given his international profile, and marketability in China and Asia. Nonetheless, the level of basketball’s dominance is startling.

Kevin Garnett of the NBA's Boston Celtics

That Federer is the only tennis player is also surprising, one would expect the list to be dominated by individual, rather than team sports, although injuries to Rafael Nadal presumably prevented him earning more this year. It is also perhaps surprising that the Williams sisters were not a factor. One might also have expected more golfers to figure, but the dominance of Woods and Mickelson makes it hard for others to build up consistent wins, and both also dominate the market in terms of endorsements. It remains to be seen whether Woods’ personal problems affect his ranking next year, although that would involve Mickelson making up a £28m deficit in one year. Finally, whilst it is not surprising to see the top Formula 1 drivers on the list, it is perhaps a little unexpected to see Valentino Rossi figure so highly, despite the fact that he is perhaps the only figure who currently transcends motorcycle racing into the wider consciousness. Indeed, his endorsements more than double his salary of £9.5m per year.

Tiger Woods, believed to be sport's first billionaire

In coming years, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Jenson Button, Nadal and the aforementioned footballers might expect to break into the top 20, assuming no hiccups along the way. Other one-off events, notably a much-anticipated fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather might also change the makeup of the list. With Woods’ marketability taking a hit recently, there may be a few more opportunities for other sportsmen with international appeal to maximise their earnings.

Sports Personality of the Year

The BBC awards the Sports Personality of the Year award tonight, an award which weighs up a year’s sporting achievements, and judges one of them the greatest of the lot. As a result, it is probably best viewed as due recognition to whoever wins it, but not a rejection on those who don’t. Far too much is achieved by too many sportspeople in a year to say that one is necessarily greater, and there is a natural bias towards participants in individual sports, as they are not reliant on a teammate. However, so long as one does not take the outcome too seriously, it is a good conversation point, and a welcome celebration of British sport.

2007 winner, Joe Calzaghe

What has slightly detracted from the evening for me in recent years is that the award used to be the climax of a programme entitled “The Sports Review of the Year”, which did exactly what the title suggested, reviewing the year’s events and handing out the award at the end. In the last ten years though, the entire programme has been focused on the award, and has been renamed “Sport Personality of the Year”. In the age of celebrity, it is clearly not enough that the award is the climax of the evening, and the one point guaranteed to be discussed the next day, it now has to have top billing as well, just in case the public forgets. The award has over 50 years of prestige, and has been won by some of the biggest names in sport, and this not so subtle shift in focus seems a little tacky, a little desperate. Perhaps that’s just my reaction, but let me know what you think.

2008 winner Chris Hoy, and runner-up Lewis Hamilton

On the plus side, the innovation in recent years of allowing the public in, and taking the show on the road has been a great idea, and has done far more to engage the public than any amount of rebranding.

Ultimately, this is still a prestigious award, and one of the more distinctive and iconic trophies in sport, and as I mentioned previously, how nice to see something that celebrates the positives in British sport, amongst all the hysteria and sniping that goes on the rest of the year.

Football: Ireland and Henry's Handball

The saga of Thierry Henry’s crucial handball in the World Cup playoff against Ireland has taken increasingly bizarre turns, as the FAI and the media have kept the pressure on FIFA to find a solution to a particularly high profile injustice.

Henry and John O'Shea in the first leg of the playoff tie

The Irish team is popular worldwide, fuelled by goodwill towards its enthusiastic and well-behaved fans, and the team’s performances as underdogs at the 1990, 1994 and 2002 World Cups. They have also benefited from the drama-free English qualification for the World Cup, and the straightforward failure of the other Celtic teams, which meant that they had the British media’s full attention for their playoff with France. Ireland have therefore received a lot of sympathy for their misfortune, but this has not translated into any tangible benefit.

Whilst the Irish cannot be blamed for exhausting every remote possibility for claiming a place at the tournament, they never stood a chance of forcing either a replay or a spot as a 33rd team in South Africa, and FIFA, although appearing incompetent on many levels, have called this issue correctly. There is no guarantee that the Irish would have won the tie anyway, and allowing a replay or admitting an extra team would set the precedent that every mistake made by an official should result in a replay or consolation place. This would create a whole new set of problems: which offences would be worthy, and which would not? How would the flood of extra games be scheduled? Would, for example, Ireland first have to replay their qualifier with Georgia, in which they benefited from an undeserved penalty?

Adding an extra team would have meant changing the balanced 32 team format, adjusting the schedule and logistics, and lumbering four unlucky teams with an extra group game. This was clearly never an option.

The Irish anger at these rejections, and the accusations of bias favouring the top countries has therefore been misplaced, because FIFA could not grant concessions to anyone, and have not stepped in to help countries such as England or The Netherlands in the past, or Russia this year, when they have failed to qualify.

What the debates over the handball, replay and 33rd place have overshadowed is the real injustice of the seeding system, which does genuinely reek of bias. Seeding teams so that the strongest nations avoid each other is not uncommon in sport, nor in itself unfair, but what rankled was that the decision was only made in September, instead of at the start of the qualification tournament. Effectively, the goalposts were moved when the competition was already nearly over.

Michel Platini of UEFA and Sepp Blatter

This incident has raised a couple of key issues for FIFA to tackle. Instead, the governing body has been casting around in search of a way of dealing with the bad publicity, without tackling the problems themselves. The suggestion that Ireland might be awarded some sort of fair play award is patronising and insulting, as Richard Dunne has pointed out. It also ignores the fact that the Irish have not done anything to deserve an award, other than be wronged. FIFA are obviously looking at the precedent of Vanderlei de Lima, awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal at the Athens Olympics after an attack by a spectator arguably deprived him of a gold medal in the marathon. However, what seemed genuine and spontaneous in that event, awarded on the same day as the incident by Jacques Rogge, seems calculated when mooted weeks after the event by Sepp Blatter. Moreover, whilst the IOC had no alternatives, other than improving security for future events, FIFA could instead spend their time more productively by ensuring no repeat of the seeding fiasco, and taking seriously the controversies created by ever-improving television technology.

The latest development is the threat of a ban for Henry himself, which is inconsistent again. If, as FIFA insists, the referee’s decision is final and video evidence should not be used, why retrospectively ban the player, especially for what would only have been a yellow card? There is no precedent for using this approach for anything less than a red card offence. Many worse crimes will have escaped punishment during the qualifiers, but none will be punished now. This does not absolve Henry, but again FIFA have ducked the real questions by trying to appear proactive, when they are in fact taking minor steps only.

There appears to be little will for real active leadership at FIFA, and sadly for the Irish, with the World Cup draw now dominating the headlines, the Champions’ League groups stage reaching its climax, and the busy Christmas and New Year period approaching, their plight is already yesterday’s news.

Rugby: London Wasps 24 - 22 Leicester Tigers

A late Jordan Crane try earned Leicester Tigers a losing bonus point, but it was too little, too late for the result of an engrossing match in which they dominated territory and possession, but were unable to turn their dominance into points thanks to the home side’s impressive defence.

These two sides have won ten of the twelve Premiership titles in the professional era, and their clashes are always enthralling, with the clubs having met in three major finals in the last five years. The opening minutes were a microcosm of the game itself, as Leicester swiftly moved into Wasps’ half, and retained possession there, before Paul Sackey counter-attacked and won a penalty 30 metres out. The lively Joe Simpson took a quick tap before offloading to Sackey, whose pace and strength was too much for a string of tacklers, as he touched down on the right. This set the tone for a first 40 minutes in which Wasps scored on all bar one of their visits to the Leicester half. Toby Flood kicked four penalties as good defence from the home side prevented any real try-scoring opportunities, but undermined their efforts somewhat with a string of infringements. Dave Walder replied with a kick of his own, but his best moment came late in the half. The fly-half, often under rated for his attacking skills, drew two defenders and offloaded out of the tackle to Steve Kefu, the Australian scoring under the posts. Another Walder penalty sent Wasps in at half time leading 18-12. Leicester had dominated the scrum, earning yards and penalties from a seemingly outclassed Wasps front row, but they had not been able to turn this into tries, and lacked the home side’s efficiency in attack.

In the second half, the game tightened up, as Wasps’ front five put in a much improved scrummaging performance, neutralising the Tigers’ biggest weapon. The home side were unable to find any clear cut scoring opportunities of their own however, and two more penalties from Walder, against one from Flood, who also missed a simple chance from the edge of the 22, were all either side could produce going into the closing minutes. As Leicester began to show more ambition, the game opened up, and a string of Wasps errors gave the visitors one last chance, with Crane scoring his try from a five metre scrum, despite it seeming to have gone round much more than 90 degrees. However, Aaron Mauger’s rushed conversion was the last act of the game, and time ran out for the Tigers.

With all the recent criticism of the quality of professional rugby in England, it was refreshing to see such a compelling match, with Wasps showing ambition in attack, and although there was plenty of kicking from both sides, it was more purposeful than that seen in the autumn internationals. Coach Shaun Edwards will be pleased with his side’s defensive performance, one or two lapses aside, and the performances of the likes of Simon Shaw in defence are encouraging. Leicester will be disappointed with their inability to turn territory and possession into tries, and their lack of invention.

TV: Depression in Sport

Last night BBC1 screened an Inside Sport special on depression in sport. Featuring interviews with Marcus Trescothick, Neil Lennon, Frank Bruno, John Kirwan and Ronnie O’Sullivan, it was a revealing insight into the particular pressures that this condition places on professional sportsmen and women, and is well worth a watch. It can be viewed on the iPlayer until 2 December, or perhaps you can find it elsewhere online.

One of the things the programme highlighted was how attitudes have improved in just the last ten years, and this is good for everyone. Understanding of the issues involved can only improve the relationships between players and fans, players and coaches, and players and their fellow players, and this leads to a better standard of sport, a more welcoming culture, and most importantly, to more support for those in need of it.

Inside Sport is not perfect, and neither was this episode; some of the stories would not have been new to those who have closely followed the stories of Trescothick et al in recent years, and whilst the analysis touched on the deeper issues, it would have been nice to investigate them more closely. In general too, not all the reports in the programme’s existence have been so revealing. However, it has overall turned out to be a high quality programme, exploring some interesting stories.

An episode like this one shows the value of high quality investigative sports journalism a market saturated by the superficial, and highlights the niche that the show occupies. It is hard to see where else such a documentary would have been shown within the sports media.

The Worst Sports Kits in History

This week, Edinburgh Rugby unveiled a spectacular new kit to be worn in their Magners League and 1872 Cup match-ups against Glasgow, and it got me thinking about some of the worst sports kits of all time.

There are ten here, but dozens that I could have included. Whilst there’s no accounting for taste, there appear to be some universal rules about what makes a kit truly terrible: attempts to make kit that fans can wear as casual gear (they’re going to wear it anyway, what difference does it make?), luminous colours, brown, grey, all goalkeepers’ kits since 1990, colours that sports teams don’t usually wear (there’s a reason everyone opts for blue, red, black etc…), anything from the ‘70s, anything ‘modern’ or for the ‘youth’ market (or a marketing man’s idea of what that is).

Take a look at this list and suggest some shockers of your own.

Denver Broncos: 1960-62 (1962-96)

As a part of this year’s celebrations of 50 seasons since the American Football League began (originally a rival, it merged with the NFL in 1970), the original eight AFL teams have been wearing throwback uniforms in selected matches. Unfortunately, this has meant a renaissance for the hideous brown and mustard yellow Denver Broncos kit, which was so unloved that when it was ditched after two seasons, it was burned at a public bonfire.

The Broncos then changed to their ‘classic’ bright orange jerseys with powder blue helmets. Not a great look either, but at least it wasn’t brown. Is it coincidence that the Broncos only broke their Super Bowl duck in 1997 when they changed to navy blue? Probably. Still a wise move though.

Scotland rugby team: 1998-2000

In 1998 some bright spark decided to replace Scotland’s traditional white change strip with a bright orange one. Thankfully it didn’t last. This kit was so terrible, that hardly any pictures of it can be found on the internet. But try as they might, the Scottish RFU can't pretend it didn't happen.

Stade Francais: 2005-present

Stade President Max Guazzini has, to his credit, turned a lower league side into one of Europe’s biggest rugby clubs. However, he is also a shameless publicist. Since 2005, he has committed he club to a new shirt every year, often the work of fashion designers, and incorporating the brightest colours possible. It has worked, Stade’s kit regularly gets headlines around the rugby world, but it is a shame that their old jersey, navy blue with red lightning bolts, has been forgotten.

Manchester United: 1995-96

This infamous grey kit took the blame when United lost 3-1 to Southampton in 1995. The players claimed that they could not pick each other out from the crowd, resulting in a 3-0 deficit at half-time, when they changed to their third strip and pulled a goal back, but it was too little, too late. The fact that they usually play in front of thousands of fans all wearing replica kits, presumably making their red shirts hard to pick out, was never raised.

(Picture: Umbro/Flickr)








England football team: 1996

What is it with Umbro and grey kits? After the Manchester United debacle, they decided that what England fans wanted was a kit that would go well with jeans. Nevermind that England’s traditional red away kit was worn in the 1966 World Cup final. One semi-final defeat to Germany in Euro ’96 later, and red was reinstated.

(Picture: Umbro/Flickr)










New Zealand cricket team: 1980s

The 1980s, the early years of coloured kits in cricket. Each side needed a colour and an identity. New Zealand’s idea of an identity? Beige.

To be fair, it has enjoyed a renaissance as an ironic look for the Kiwi answer to the Barmy Army, the Beige Brigade, and the national side seemed to enjoy wearing beige as a one-off for a Twenty20 match in 2005, but for all concerned, I think it’s best left to the fans.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1976-1996

The now legendary ‘creamsicle’ uniforms were worn by the Buccaneers for the first twenty years of their existence. This period saw them produce the first winless season of the Super Bowl era, and it took them 26 games over two years before they won a game. Even the picture of a Buccaneer on the helmet looked more like a camp cavalier. This ignominious history earned them the nickname, ‘the Yuks’, which was not helped by their horrific uniforms. Like the Broncos, they changed their colours, and within a few years, won a Super Bowl.

What’s even more mystifying is that they brought the colours back this year for a game against Green Bay. Unlike the former AFL teams, who had a reason to be wearing throwback jerseys, the Buccaneers had none. That said, it did bring their first win of the season, maybe unsurprising, given that their opponents were presumably playing with their eyes closed.

Cameroon football team: 2004

First they tried sleeveless shirts in 2002, but FIFA banned them. Undeterred, Puma decided to push their luck and produced an all-in one kit for Cameroon’s 2004 African Cup of Nations campaign. FIFA, realising that this heinous crime against football was the most important issue that they had to face, and more threatening to the fabric of the game than controversies over drugs, club debt, the trafficking of young players or video technology, banned it again, and deducted points from Cameroon’s World Cup qualifying campaign. Although the points were later returned, never let it be said that FIFA don’t clamp down on the big problems in the modern game. Aesthetically, this kit is fine, but one that costs its side six points is not worth the trouble.

Goalkeepers: since 1990

Goalkeepers have a rough deal. Whilst the outfield players grab all the glory, they are pilloried for making one mistake. Meanwhile, those pesky outfielders also went and reserved all the good colours, leaving some shockers for their colleagues between the posts. England ‘keepers of the '90s fared especially badly, though Mexican goalie Jorge Campos is right up there with them.

Denver Nuggets: 1980s

US sports teams produced some shockers in the '70s and '80s, but this ticks my box for anything attempting to look ‘modern’.

Rugby: England 6 - 19 New Zealand

England rounded off their autumn internationals with a second defeat in three matches, although the visit of New Zealand to Twickenham was always the most likely fixture to bring a defeat.

Despite the comfortable margin of victory for the visitors, there was actually more for the English to take out of this game than either the defeat against Australia or the win over Argentina. The home side showed more attacking intent, did some good work in the set pieces and the contact area, mainly in the first half, and forced All Black errors, allowing them to build territory and possession. However, they committed far too many errors and offered little threat or invention inside the visitors’ 22, and a sub-par New Zealand side was far too comfortable in the final quarter.

The first half began with a crashing tackle by Matt Banahan, and the All Blacks briefly looked flustered, with the usually reliable Dan Carter missing two kicks at goal, and scuffing a kick for touch. Mils Muliaina thought he had scored a try in the corner after Dan Hipkiss failed to stop a run by Carter, but a last ditch tackle from Ugo Monye saved the day. England were also making mistakes however, and apart from a correctly disallowed Monye try following a knock-on, there was little threat, resulting in a 6-6 scoreline at the interval. It was encouraging for England that they were level, but they also needed to recognise that had Carter been kicking to his usual standard, they would have been behind.

In the second half, the home side showed similar industry, but despite finding themselves within five metres of the All Blacks’ try line on a couple of occasions, they had little idea of how to breach the defence, and their efforts were summed up when Jonny Wilkinson failed with a drop-goal attempt the first time that the ball came out to the backs, despite having men outside him. Meanwhile, the visitors began to exert some authority, and put the game beyond England with 20 minutes remaining when a well-worked move down the blindside led to Richie McCaw putting Jimmy Cowan over for a try with an intelligent pass.

A comfortable win for New Zealand, despite the All Blacks being far from their best. Their most impressive attribute was their defence, though the home side never really asked questions of it either. For England, Lewis Moody was again the standout, Simon Shaw brought much needed power to the pack, whilst Croft, Hodgson and Haskell also did many good things. Haskell however, was one of many England players guilty of mistakes at key moments, and the lack of precision and invention will worry Martin Johnson over Christmas. If England can build on this platform then there is hope for the Six Nations, but until they start scoring tries they will continue to lag behind their rivals. New Zealand meanwhile, also have much to work on after a year in which they lost four games, but they will feel happy with their defence, and the way that their young players are integrating with the veterans.

Rugby: England Player Ratings

A disappointing loss for England, with a few points of encouragement. There was a misheld belief that Australia were there for the taking, based on their recent poor record (partly a by-product of playing New Zealand and South Africa every week), and reports of discontent in their camp. However, they are a talented and resilient side, and were always going to be tough. Nonetheless, at home, against an inexperienced opponent, England should have done more, especially with all their possession in the first half.

The lack of cutting edge and the soft defensive performance is a concern, but there were positives to take from the game. Twelve months ago, this was a new England side, who appeared to be seriously off the pace in international rugby. In the Six Nations, they produced some improved performances, but progress was slow, and this was clearly going to be a lengthy process. England again appeared to have improved today, there was more attacking intent than they have shown in years, and they were able to string together good phases of play at times. There were also some positive individual performances. However, they are still some way off the pace, and the progress will have to speed up if they are to avoid an embarrassing autumn whitewash. They jury is still out on Martin Johnson’s regime, but there is enough there for fans to cling on to, if they can be patient. Johnson needs to beware however, that the patience will not last long.

Tim Payne – 6
Solid in the scrum and tackled well. Payne’s never going to be spectacular, but he did not let his side down.

Steve Thompson – 6
Good to see him back in the side, he threw and scrummaged well, could do with making more of an impact around the field like in his first incarnation, but a promising starting point.

David Wilson – 7
Impressive debut, scrummaged well, got around the field and made tackles.

Louis Deacon – 5
Quiet, needs to do more if he wants to keep out the likes of Lawes or Shaw.

Steve Borthwick – 6
Solid, but needs to be more of a presence around the field. Line-out work was good.

Lewis Moody – 7
Good return to the side, showed why he was so highly rated in the early years of his career before form and injuries overtook him. Lots of tackles and good work on the ground.

Tom Croft – 5
Quiet. Needs to recapture last season’s form and prove that his is a lasting talent. Good line-out work.

Jordan Crane – 6
Good positional play, made an impact around the field in the first half, but lacked dynamism when compared with Haskell, who replaced him.

Danny Care – 6
Good first half, when he was on track for a 7, let down by poor second half, which was a 5 at best before he was removed. First half was better than many English scrum-half performances of recent years, fired out quick passes and kept England moving in their good spells. In the second half, he regressed, spent too long organising his forwards, and was slow to get his hands on the ball.

Jonny Wilkinson – 8
England’s best player, rolled back the years and controlled everything that England did. Tackled bravely, kicked well, and showed that his underrated attacking skills, particularly his passing and running are sharper than they have been in years. Encouraging to see him play with such confidence. A few poor tactical kicks were the only blot on his copybook.

Shane Geraghty – 4
It was good to have a second fly-half at inside centre. Unfortunately however, he was poor, his passes were frequently too low or too high, he kicked badly and at the wrong time, especially his preoccupation with the chip and chase, which became predictable and was poorly executed. Wilkinson showed him how it should be done, selecting his moment and then producing a perfectly weighted chip, chase and offload. A couple of good breaks showed his potential, and he should play again next week, but must learn from this experience.

Dan Hipkiss – 6
Carried well when he was allowed to, and provided much needed muscle in midfield. Is reliant on those inside him to give him the right kind of ball if he is to make a bigger impact.

Matt Banahan – 7
Good all-round performance, did not look out of place, was a presence in attack and defence, but lack of serious attacking ball stopped him from showing his full potential.

Mark Cueto – 6
Not many chances, but showed a few glimpses of his ability. The entire back three was starved of good attacking ball. Poor tackling for Ashley-Cooper’s try.

Ugo Monye – 5
Positive in the early phases, when he had some attacking ball, and did not look entirely out of place at full-back, but was also to blame for the Ashley-Cooper score, and offered little threat running from deep.

Substitutes:

James Haskell – 7
Explosive when he came on, if he can show consistency, and play more rugby at number eight the starting job could be his.

Dylan Hartley – 7
Also explosive in the loose, did well in the set piece, his throwing was good. If he continues on this trajectory, he will be the starter soon.

Ayoola Erinle – 6
Overdue debut, dynamic when he came on, but one important handling error showed where he needs to improve. Deserves another look.

Courtney Lawes – 5
Little chance to do anything, seemed slightly off the pace, but now that his debut is out of the way, he can learn from the experience.

Paul Hodgson – 6
Improved things after Care’s poor second half outing. Snappy service, good substitution at the right time.

Rugby: Wales v New Zealand

Three quick observations on the Wales v New Zealand game that took place today. Same old story for the home side, in recent years they have specialised in running the All Blacks close, but have still not beaten them in 56 years.

1 – The state of the Millennium Stadium pitch. This has been a recurring theme since the stadium opened. The ground was cutting up terribly underfoot, players were consistently slipping over, especially when changing direction and scrummaging, robbing fans of the best attacking rugby. The stadium is a multi-purpose ground, but rugby is its number one function, and it is owned by the WRU. Whether it is to do with the weather in Cardiff, or the way the stadium is built does not matter, for a pitch to cut up that badly in an international is not acceptable.

2 – Refereeing. Whether or not the All Blacks got the rub of the green with refereeing decisions, Jonathan Davies correctly observed on the BBC that decisions tend to favour the side on top. Warren Gatland’s post-match comments were clearly calculated, as all his controversial remarks are, but as Davies alluded to, if the Welsh get forward momentum into the contact areas, decisions will follow. It is up to Wales to manage the referee as effectively as their opponents do. The referee did not have a bad game, and did not make many clear-cut mistakes, it was the 50-50 calls that went against Wales.

3 – Unnecessary controversy. The BBC has consistently high-quality rugby coverage in terms of presentation, commentators, pundits and analysis, but they have an unhealthy obsession with generating controversy, inevitably fuelled by their asking for the public’s views. Dan Carter’s high tackle on Martin Roberts should have been penalised, but nothing more than that. High tackles happen in rugby, sometimes they are reckless, occasionally they are vicious, but often they are just a miscalculation, as was the case here. The crowd booed as it occurred at a critical juncture, but after the game John Inverdale insisted on labouring the point, when the expert panel clearly did not see much worthy of discussion. The time would have been better spent picking apart the game with the expert rugby brains of Guscott, Davies and Marshall, all of whose analysis was excellent. Similarly, although Warren Gatland’s post-match comments were unprompted, they sparked an exercise in how much controversy could be generated from them. The producers need to realise that the rugby provides all the drama that the fans want, and there is no need to force things.

Tennis: Andre Agassi

The recent revelations in Andre Agassi’s autobiography have led to some sensational and emotive headlines. There is a lot of anger towards Agassi and the ATP in the media, specifically charges of incompetence towards the ATP for letting Agassi talk his way out of a failed drugs test, and of betrayal towards the player himself for taking crystal meth, lying, and only admitting to it ten years later in an apparent attempt to sell books.

Whether or not this anger exists outside of the media bubble is harder to tell. Agassi has always been one of the most popular players of recent times, far more so than his more successful contemporary Pete Sampras. The reason being that he is seen as having more character, humanity and flair than the ruthless and outwardly more withdrawn Sampras, a man with a far quieter personal life. Whilst the drugs confessions will undoubtedly tarnish his reputation in some eyes, many more will probably be forgiving, recognising that his flaws and honesty endeared him to them in the first place. Furthermore, recreational drugs do not damage the integrity of results as much as performance enhancing ones, which should preserve his reputation as a player.

Had this come out during his career, it would have been worse for his reputation, as he would have faced a ban, and then the prospect of playing whilst that stigma hung over his head. As it is, the controversial confessions are part of the regular post-retirement routine for many sportsmen and women, although this was a more dramatic confession than usual. The story of success, followed by a fall, and then redemption, has always been a powerful one.

What has been more interesting, and has perhaps resulted in more vitriol from the tennis press is Agassi’s claim to hate the sport “with a dark and secret passion”. In a way this is more disturbing for fans of any sport, who love their game and wish they had just some of the talent exhibited by the professionals. For fans, sport is something that offers pleasure and escapism, and they often struggle to understand those who have the privilege of playing professionally, but seem unappreciative. To hear a sportsman announce that he hated his sport feels like a betrayal and devalues fans’ cherished memories of his career. How can they vicariously enjoy his great moments, when he himself did not? That is why some have suggested that Agassi’s claims should have been kept private, that he damages the game by making them public, or even that he is being disingenuous in making them, that it is impossible to dislike something that he was so good at. Whatever the truth, the title of the book, “Open” makes it clear that Agassi feels that it is best shared.

Look a little deeper and it is not surprising that, if his claims are true, he hates tennis. For him, tennis is tied up with a pushy and aggressive father who drove him into the game. Tennis is not the only sport with pushy parents, but it seems particularly prone to them, perhaps inevitably, as alongside golf it is the most high profile individual sport in the world, with no team mates to diffuse attention away from the young player.

Then there is the endless international travel, not sightseeing and relaxed holidays, but long trips to cities where the player only sees the inside of the hotel, the taxi ride to the venue, and the tennis facility itself. There is the pressure: from fans, coaches, and most of all, the player themselves, the fear of the disappointment of losing. There are the huge sacrifices: the hours spent in the gym or on the practice court, the media commitments and drug tests. Above all, there is endless scrutiny on every shot, every word spoken, every action on and off the court. As a top player, Agassi had even less time off than other players, who would exit tournaments in the early rounds, whilst he would have more sponsors who would ask more of him, and would be more in demand from the media than the others. To fans this might all seem worthwhile, but over the course of more than 15 years, combined with a troubled relationship with the game thanks to his father, it is easy to see how it would take its toll.

This is not to judge whether is right to hate the game, or to tell everyone that he does, although he is entitled to think what he wants, but simply to acknowledge that when one inspects the facts, it is not as surprising as it first seems. A good article by Stuart Jeffries this week shows that Andre Agassi would not be the first sportsman to hate his sport, but be driven on by a love of winning. Perhaps in describing his relationship with tennis as hate, Agassi erred. Perhaps love/hate would be more apt. Hating the game and the way it consumed his life, loving the winning and the rewards, but ultimately, only the man himself knows.

NFL: Stat of the Day

As a brief follow up to my post from 16 October regarding a win for the Cleveland Browns despite the terrible performance of their quarterback, Derek Anderson, I bring you a statistic courtesy of ESPN:

"If every pass a quarterback attempts falls to the ground incomplete, his QB rating is 39.6. Derek Anderson's quarterback rating is 36.2."

Basically, I could get a better quarterback rating than Derek Anderson at the moment, simply by throwing the ball away the moment I took the snap, and this is a former Pro Bowler we're talking about (Anderson, not me).

The suspicion that backup and former starter Brady Quinn has either rubbed coach Eric Mangini up the wrong way, or that the Browns don't want to pay him whatever bonus he gets for playing a certain number of minutes this season grows and grows. Either that or Derek Anderson's got incriminating photos of members of the coaching staff.

Quinn saw some game time at the end of the recent defeat at Chicago, but speculation about whether or not he will start has fallen by the wayside in light of off-field upheavals in Cleveland this week.

NFL: London Expansion

With this year’s NFL International Series game now gone, there has been plenty of speculation, fuelled by fairly vague comments from administrators, that the UK will in time, see either an increased number of regular season games played here; or that London might host a Super Bowl; or even a franchise. As NFLUK journalist Keith Webster notes, the league must have a roadmap of where it is going with these games, as otherwise the venture risks petering out with little long-term legacy, as previous efforts did in the past.

A second annual game is widely expected, and seems realistic, especially given the high levels of interest in the games so far. Any of the other proposals however, would be much more drastic. Loaning the outside world one game a year is one thing, but a Super Bowl is America’s biggest sporting event, whilst a London team would mean weekly transatlantic trips and would need a guaranteed week-in, week-out fanbase.

With that in mind then, a Super Bowl seems more likely than a franchise, but still not likely. The NFL has a strong preference for warm weather or indoor locations, and London in February will have neither. Most important is the likelihood of rain, which can have a marked effect on the quality of entertainment, as we saw with the first game at Wembley in 2007, when the Giants v Dolphins clash was turned into a mudbath. On the plus side, it would avoid the league taking away a home game from either of the teams involved, and it is a game that fans are used to travelling for. However those same fans would be outraged at the showpiece event for “America’s game” being taken overseas, especially given the huge boost that the game brings to the local economy of the host city.

As for a London-based franchise, there are three key issues. The first is that of logistics. Could teams reasonably travel across the Atlantic every week, and would players be willing to relocate to another country? The second question relates to the fans. Although Wembley has been sold out three years in a row thanks to a combination of hardcore supporters and curious sports fans looking for something different and a spectacle, would they attend eight games a year, and support a London franchise? Casual observers might be good for a game or two per season, and whilst the hardcore would attend more regularly, financial would come into play, as would the fact that many who have attended the London games have come from around the UK and Europe. They presumably would not do so every week. Meanwhile most UK fans already support NFL teams, and would be reluctant to change their allegiance to a side whose American players would have as much in common with Britain as those in Denver, Houston or Chicago.

Finally, it would require a big change in culture. Farming out individual games, even the biggest game of all, to another country is simply promoting an American product abroad. Handing entry to the NFL to a foreign team would mean that this is no longer America’s game. It would, if successful (admittedly a big if), mean giving the outside world a say in the running of the sport. Britain gave up ownership of sports like football, cricket and rugby many years ago, but retained its own leagues and identity, and despite the increase in foreign players and cross border competitions, that integrity remains. This would be a long way from the defunct NFL Europa. Up until now, Americans who disagree with international expansion have been largely able to ignore such efforts, which have had little impact on them, and barely registered on their consciousness.

Despite the hopes of Webster and Alistair Kirkwood, Managing Director of NFLUK, veteran journalist Mike Carlson probably identified the most realistic plan on Five last Sunday night. He has observed that the most likely outcome is the addition of a 17th regular season game to the league schedule (which has already been discussed), and for each team to play their extra game at a neutral venue, whether abroad, or at locations in the United States that do not currently host NFL games, such as Los Angeles. This seems more pragmatic and could lead to London and other British and European locations hosting multiple games annually. League expansion would only follow if this move succeeded.

Ultimately, as a fan who has attended all three Wembley games, and hopes to attend more in the future, I hope that the league does not add a London team. A 17th game which allows further matches in the UK would be great, but not a Super Bowl or franchise. Part of the NFL’s charm, amongst many other things, is its American-ness. It has a different culture and character to European and Commonwealth sports, and conjures up scenes from an array of locations across the length and breadth of the United States. As Paul Hayward recently observed in The Guardian, sporting events have a sense of belonging to a place. To buy into a sport is to buy into its surroundings and history. Sporting events are a part of the fabric of their location, and their location is a part of their fabric.

There is still room for international expansion in sport, taking the PGA or LTA tours, or the Formula 1 circuit to new countries is a logical reflection of those sports’ growing appeal. The Premier League’s derided game 39 plan misjudged this balance, but there may be other ways of bringing English football to overseas fans.

As for the NFL, in the cold light of day, a London franchise or a Super Bowl seem unlikely, whatever league Commissioner Roger Goodell says. Men like Goodell and Kirkwood, with vested interests in keeping fans as interested as possible are never going to rule anything out, and the intrigue keeps people talking, so putting too much faith in their statements is unwise. Instead, British fans should make the most of whatever games come our way, and revel in the excitement of something that is truly American, in the best possible way.