well said

Woody · well said

WELL this week we've finally done it. We've now reached the point where sport is no longer an escape from the rigours of daily life but instead just a mirror of society's wrongs and evils.

Last Sunday I sat in disbelief at Manchester United's Theatre of Dreams as a Fulham player, Michael Brown, looked like he tried to break Ryan Giggs's leg.

That was small potatoes compared to Manchester City's Ben Thatcher on Wednesday night as he not only took Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes out of the game, but his elbow to the face landed Pedro in hospital as well. And we thought the thug problem was OFF the pitch.

I'm a big sports fan and that's why this summer's revelations have left me feeling let down big-time.

Allegations of drug-taking in cycling and athletics, match-fixing and diving in soccer and now ball-tampering in cricket - a game long seen as the epitome of sportsmanship.

Widespread cheating at the highest level is not only wrong' it seriously wounds sport by diluting achievement and leaving fans sceptical.

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The cheats must be driven out allowing genuine champions to triumph. It is the duty of the powers that be to act quickly and with conviction.

Turning a blind eye will only reward these fraudsters, leaving fans feeling cheated. I've always encouraged my kids take a healthy in-terest in sport for the sake of their mental and physical' well-being. But per-haps I'm wrong by exposing them to a culture of cheating.

AT school a game of football, tennis, crosscountry or even bouncing a basketball around the gym was a great escape from the classroom for me.

It taught me lessons about teamwork and friendship and helped burn off excess calories and pent-up energy along the way.

But I'm wondering whether my ideal world of Corinthian spirit is relevant today. One pundit described the period from the World Cup in Germany, through to the Tour de France, the athletics season and the recent shenanigans over ball-tampering as "the summer when sport went to hell".

It's hard to disagree. There's a wide-1 spread and deep culture of cheating. Too many competitors seem to get more of a kick from conning officialdom than they do from pursuing their sport. Are these the right role models for our kids? Maybe not.

But even though it's all ugly, corrupt and treats law and officialdom with contempt with rules to be abused or side-stepped, perhaps it just prepares them for the real world.

I dont like the dood , but he does talk sense.

Guest

Is sheep molesting still classed as a sport then?

Woody

if it is me and you are in line for a gold medal

Guest

No point entering the olympics then

Woody

oh i dont know