The marriage of celebrity culture and sports entertainment has come full circle in unholy matrimony now. But man does it bring in the bucks.
Even sports commentators say stuff like (and I loosely paraphrase), “not a whole lot to do in Winnipeg. Why should he sign and play for a team there when he can fraternize and fornicate in Montreal!”
The point is that small market teams get culturally black listed now.
I understand that some thought has to go into selecting a place to play but choosing a place to satisfy the narcissistic needs of your lover should not be one of them. I also get that athletes want to enjoy their fame and wealth while their young. Nevertheless, sometimes you just have to count your blessings and just be happy you have the opportunity to play professional sports. Even if it’s in Milwaukee – or Sunderland for that matter.
Taken to its logical end, it makes little sense to give the player the option to pick and choose where he can play. If this was the case, we’d have 120 teams operating in London, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and possibly New York Jr. (aka Toronto).
Now, at this point, any man worth his sea salt would simply remind his squeeze that he is a footballer first and foremost. That they can do all their shopping in the off-season.
That’s that – now git.
Today, men wear crocs, have manicures and leave their pants in the hamper. It’s not surprising we’re seeing this sort of stuff in sports now.
All things Roy Keane did not stand for as a player and does not care for as a manager. His concern is perfectly legitimate.
Sports are about competition and winning and it shouldn’t matter where you play or where you win.
If you are terrified of playing for a small town, ask the WAGS of the Green Bay Packers and see how they handle it.
Article comments
1 - Douglas Mays
Very interesting article. I never really thought of it on those terms. A bit of enlightenment. An insider's view of the runnings behind the sport. Yeah, those darn women, gotta love 'em.
NewYork Jr.? Toronto? Great town. I love it. As if New York City were in Austria.
best,
DM
2 - Christopher Rose
Yeah, Roy is right about that. A couple of details, Sunderland is North of London, not South, so I fixed that for you Alessandro and yeah, England is that big. In fact, you can drive almost 900 km from one end to the other and then you'd still have the wilderness that is Scotland left to negotiate!
3 - Dr Dreadful
Maybe Roy should put the wives' and girlfriends' names on the Saturday teamsheet. Sunderland play like a bunch of old women anyway!
4 - alessandro Nicolo
Heh.
I shoulda checked that before letting my memory fail me before all.
Merci mon ami.
5 - alessandro Nicolo
DM, thanks. Insider? I wish. Just a student of the game. I may be middling in my mediocrity but try I do.
DR. - like those wankers Man U?
6 - Dr Dreadful
Why aye, Alex - as they say on Tyneside.
I'm thoroughly enjoying Manchester Untied's start to the season.
(No, that's not a typo...)
7 - alessandro nicolo
May I ask who is lucky enough to have your support? I must profess a soft spot for Liverpool. One of the first Champions League matches I saw involved Liverpool. In 1981 when they beat Real and 1984 when they beat Roma. I wasn't even a teen but the Red Devils have kept my eye.
8 - Dr Dreadful
Alessandro, I'm a Newcastle United fan. Hence my Schadenfreude regarding anything bad that happens to Sunderland.
For the benefit of North American sports fans, the cities of Newcastle and Sunderland are a few miles apart and the enmity between the two soccer clubs goes back about 120 years. A close analogy would probably be the Raiders-49ers rivalry, or perhaps the Red Sox-Yankees feud.
9 - Dr Dreadful
And BTW, "the Red Devils" are Manchester United. Liverpool are simply "the Reds"!
10 - alessandro nicolo
Yikes! I apologize to both fans. They just both had to have red. burgundy is a kind of red.
Yes. I read that in one of those soccer books from England I have. Superb history in that splendid little island.