Andre Agassi’s autobiography Open is the best sports biography I have ever read. It’s a brutally honest book about what was going on in Agassi’s mind as he became a globally famous tennis player. As he continually repeats throughout the book, despite the wealth and fame it gave him, Agassi hated playing tennis. Agassi grew… Continue reading The superficiality of success
Category: Sport
The power of personal conviction
This Easter I read For the Glory, a biography of Eric Liddell by the brilliant sports writer, Duncan Hamilton. Eric Liddell was the Scottish sprinter who famously refused to run in the 100m in the 1924 Olympics because the heats were on a Sunday. Liddell was subject to severe ridicule for his stance from some… Continue reading The power of personal conviction
Taking the hand-brake off
Last summer Ben Stokes took over a failing England cricket team and went full-throttle in pursuit of a completely different way of playing. It has been a dramatic turnaround and the new, hyper-attacking approach is like nothing seen before in the history of Test cricket. England have broken numerous records, have won 7 of their… Continue reading Taking the hand-brake off
Football’s collusion with betting is gambling with people’s lives
There has probably never been a global sporting event surrounded by as much ethical controversy as the current FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In many people's eyes, the whole event is the most blatant illustration of football’s capitulation to greed and corruption. The important discussions on the conditions for immigrant construction workers, the human rights… Continue reading Football’s collusion with betting is gambling with people’s lives
Pure Class: Flintoff’s challenge to cricket’s elitism
The issue of class is woven into the history of cricket like no other sport. As a non-contact game, it was more socially acceptable for the English upper classes to play alongside the working class. It was a shared sporting endeavour but without the potentially awkward physicality of rugby or football. Thus cricket helped forge… Continue reading Pure Class: Flintoff’s challenge to cricket’s elitism
Transforming leadership: the power of a fresh approach
New England Captain, Ben Stokes and new Coach, Brendan McCullum Just a few weeks ago, English Cricket was in deep crisis. The team had only won one Test match in 17 games. The team was thrashed by Australia last winter and beaten by the West Indies in the spring. The Director and Coach were sacked… Continue reading Transforming leadership: the power of a fresh approach
Shane Warne: why he meant so much, to so many – by David Hilborn
Why am I reading every eulogy, every obituary, every retrospective of Shane Warne that I can lay my hands on following his shock death yesterday aged just 52? And why, periodically, are those tributes prompting my throat to catch, and my eyes to brim with tears? After all, Ukraine is burning. The world is reeling… Continue reading Shane Warne: why he meant so much, to so many – by David Hilborn
3 lessons for the Church from the Yorkshire Cricket racism scandal
Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) is one of the most famous sporting institutions in the world. They have won the County Championship a record 33 times and have produced cricketing legends such as Sir Len Hutton, Fred Trueman, Geoffrey Boycott and the current England captain, Joe Root. Stubborn But even within cricket’s conservative culture, YCCC… Continue reading 3 lessons for the Church from the Yorkshire Cricket racism scandal
‘A slur which insults and wounds’: racism is not banter
Azeem Rafiq's father at Yorkshire CCC yesterday I am a member of a Facebook group for cricket fans. Over the last few days, there has inevitably been a lot of discussion, some of it very heated, about the racist bullying that Azeem Rafiq has faced at Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC). If you are not… Continue reading ‘A slur which insults and wounds’: racism is not banter
‘Daring greatly’ & the meaning of sport
On Sunday night I watched the final of the European Championship with my son and a group of intensely passionate 16 year olds. Other members of my family stayed in their rooms. They never watched a single kick. To the boys in my front room, the result left them distraught. To others upstairs, it meant… Continue reading ‘Daring greatly’ & the meaning of sport
Grace + Truth 