“Now is not a time to fall out of love with the game, but remember why you fell in love with it in the first place.” Marcus Rashford
There has been a lot said and written about sport during the Coronavirus pandemic, but one particular statement resonates with me. It comes from Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford, who, in a message to academy footballers, said: “Now is not a time to fall out of love with the game, but remember why you fell in love with it in the first place.”
Courtesy: Grand Prix 247
That message is true for all sports right now. Sport has received plenty of negative press recently. Some say that money and potential financial losses are being put ahead of health risks for those involved. Others are concerned that procedures and protocols for sport are coming before the needs of essential workers and vulnerable people. And then there is a concern about the extra stress that sport may place on front line emergency services at a time when they are already under so much pressure.
Added to the above negativity is the feeling that, when sport returns, it will not be the same as it was before. It’s almost certain that fans will not be allowed to attend for the foreseeable future. As a football season ticket holder and an annual supporter of the British Grand Prix, I know that not being able to attend sporting events does not feel right. I believe that sport needs fans, and that sport is enjoyed most when experienced live at an event.
With all of the above in place, it would be easy to lose faith in sport. But, as Rashford says, now is not the time for that. Now is the time to remember why we love sport so much. That includes remembering past and present stars who amaze us. For me, that means the likes of current stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as stars of generations past, such as Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Bobby Charlton, George Best, and Pele.
I love watching Lewis Hamilton chase down records set by Michael Schumacher just as much as I loved watching Schumacher dominate over the many years. I also hold dear the driving of past Formula 1 stars, such as Ayrton Senna, Jackie Stewart, Nikki Lauda, and Fangio.
Tiger Woods (photo, Golf Week)
The list goes on, including Tiger Woods making golf appealing to new generations around the world, and watching Roger Federer float around the tennis court. It also comes by way of watching NBA legends, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, defy gravity on the basketball court.
All of these sporting greats–past and present–create drama and excitement– especially during historic and unforgettable sporting moments.
For football fans, who can forget the dramatic European Champions League finals of 1999 when Manchester United scored twice in injury time to beat Bayern Munich, or in 2005 when Liverpool overturned a 3-0 deficit to beat AC Milan on penalties?
The World Cup is the pinnacle of football that has had many great moments, including Zinedine Zidane inspiring France to victory in 1998, Diego Maradona starring for Argentina in 1986, and arguably the greatest team ever–Brazil in 1970 with Pele as the star.
Big Three (photo, SkySports)
There have been many memorable F1 races over the years, too, such as the 2008 title decider in Brazil when Lewis Hamilton clinched the title on the final corner. And there was Aryton Senna’s amazing drive to victory at Donnington in the 1993 European Grand Prix.
The Olympic Games is another sporting event that brings the love of sport to millions of people. People will always remember Michael Johnson winning 200m and 400m double gold at Atlanta in 1996. And everyone fell in love with Usain Bolt as he smashed the 100m world record in 2008 and, then, went onto defend his Olympic titles in 2012 and 2016.
Whatever sport you love, there is a hero and an unforgettable moment that lasts forever. So we should not fall out of love with sport. Instead, let’s think about why we love it!
