One too many Sports

It's been a while, yes. But what a better occasion to resurface than the greatest spectacle on Earth. The Olympics are back, and this time we just had to wait for three years. Not everything about the pandemic was going to be bad… I can't wait to see the whole thing unfolding. Yet, once again, on day one (or should I say day -2?) what I just watched… anything but pretty. Simply, there are sports that should not feature in the Olympics. Not at all.

I am not referring to the Breaking, whatever that is, Dressage or even Golf. Oh, no. It is the usual suspect. And trust me, I love that game, I jump at every opportunity that presents to play it in any of its multitude of modalities… but… what the actual F!

Football represents everything that the Olympics are not, and it proves that point on a weekly basis. We saw it unfolding in the promotion games in Spain. Nastic, or should it be rebranded as Nastyc? What a disgrace. We see it at all levels, be it grassroots, amateur, professional or elite. But… at the Olympics!? Not only they steal the spotlight by starting their competition early, but they dare do it in ‘style’. By the way, someday someone will have to explain to me why footballers need more time than anyone to recover between games. I've been watching games since Mazinger Z´s days and something has never changed: at any given time, three or four run, a few jog and most walk. And the number of substitutions has increased dramatically in recent years… yet, they still need more recovery than any other athlete. Let's not forget, basket ballers or handballers usually play on a daily basis at elite events. But hey, the excuse grants football the opportunity to steal the thunder. As if they need it.

Football not only syphon up 99% of financial resources at all levels, leaving any other sport discipline always begging for scraps, but the magic trick they perform to turn it into spreading their lack of values, vulgarity, nastiness, and all things that sports should not be among young and not-so-young people, never ceased to amaze me. No day without news, even if it is just to stain a brilliant achievement by politicizing a celebration with stupid remarks, as we saw recently by people in red who should know a lot better than that. Not out of lack of PR resources around them, mind you. It is just their mouths are so big, and they feel so entitled that anything is justified if you are a successful footballer. Just because…

But transforming an Olympic event into a shit-show… perhaps should be a step too far. For once, once every four years, let all the other sports shine. Have a break. Let us have a break… from your nastiness, disrespectful crowds, pitch invasions, referee intimidation, diving (the wrong kind), play-acting, time-wasting, lack of sportsmanship… and all those things you bring to the arena daily. Do not corrupt this magnificent spectacle we call the Olympics with your dirty money. Football, please, go home. You are, and always will be, the one too many.