Olympic Games.

Am I the only one who feels that the Olympic Games seemed somehow more wholesome in the amateur era ? Indeed are all sporting ideals compromised by the advent of 'professionalism' ?

To me the Olympics was all about running jumping and throwing. My childhood heroes were the middle distance guys, Coe, Ovett and that chap from NewZealand who won everything before they arrived. Add if you wish Brendan Foster to the list, erstwhile, gritty but flat footed he still manged to win without the allure of big-bucks prize money.

Fo the past 20 odd years however the remit of 'the games' has changed into a ghastly circus, with medal-greed and win at any costs attitudes. When the London games was first  anounced I thought it might be nice to pop down and take a day out with my children, wander about maybe watch a bit of track and field - the heats of the pole-vault or what have you. You know, give them something to write in my 'What I did over the summer essay'. Little did I know that the 'I want to say "I was there !" crowd' would create such an unreasonable demand that the whole shebang would be price prohibitive and over subscribed even for a ladies rowing event in Nottingham.

Oh and just a quick word on beach volleyball while we're at it. Great fun I have no doubt, but I hope the fit ladies in bikins don't complain too much if they get observed attentively by the male members in the crowd . That's what men do, it's a consequence of millions of years of evolution -  like it or not. Err, and one more thing why is it that this Olympic games features BOTH beach volleyball AND  conventional volleyball (where incidentally competitors wear conventional sporting garb) - is volleyball so entrenched in the nation's pscyche that we need two varients of this, let's face it, mediocre sporting spectacle?

Professional sport, in my view, has edged out the have a go amateur. Thirty years ago, what we now term junior rugby (a sport I occasionally participated in), was thriving. Clubs in middle England would each be able to field 3 => 5 teams plus a colts (U-17) side with ease. Pubs the breadth of the country would ring out to the bawdy sounds of the rugby sing-song, and win or lose you'd celebrate with gusto. The same clubs now struggle to field 2 sides many have folded in the past 10 years. Some may recall a 70s/80s government initiative call 'Sport for All' that encourage all of us irrespective of ability to get involved.  What happened ?
did the Murdochs and Sky TV teach us it's easier and on the face of it more fun to sit in front of a TVand watch, drink beer than to participate - if so he's bigger tosser than even I gave him credit for.