Who else thinks this?

[Ithica]

I never understood Norm, I thought everything he made was rubbish and couldn't understand the following he had especially when he wasn't even a local boy, not even english, over commercialised and he was managed by an American company as well, plenty seemed to worship him though. Strange old world.

You raise an interesting point. Players, managers and even grounds come and go but an idea, 'the football club' sustains. Often passed from generation to generation. Its a bit like Trigger's broom - 15 handles and 23 brush heads but it remains Trigger's broom and he is proud of it. Mange tout Rodney, mange tout.

 

[MikeJhn]

Good job some of these minorities are happy to play in your teams!

Not my teams and I could not care less who they play for, shame so many think its so important that they will pay through the nose to watch and support their extortionate life styles.

 

[MikeJhn]

F1 has lost its way, "Drag reduction system, what on earth"? "different tyres for qualifying" " must use the tyres you posted your fastest lap on to start the race" What on earth are they thinking, I know the FIA (Ferrari International Assistance) have some funny ideas, but they have gone haywire.

 

[Doug71]

The only sport I watch is a bit of F1, I find it fascinating that you can have 10 cars in qualifying all with times within 0.5 second of each other yet it's always the same ones who are at the top.

Never been a Hamilton fan, found it funny he was moaning that Red Bull have a faster when he has had the fastest car for about the last 5 years.

Thought it was hilarious when Mercedes put Russell in Hamiltons car then seemed like they did all they could to stop Russell winning.

Only time I watch football is England in Euros or world cup.

 

[scooby]

The only sport I watch is a bit of F1, I find it fascinating that you can have 10 cars in qualifying all with times within 0.5 second of each other yet it's always the same ones who are at the top.

Never been a Hamilton fan, found it funny he was moaning that Red Bull have a faster when he has had the fastest car for about the last 5 years.

Thought it was hilarious when Mercedes put Russell in Hamiltons car then seemed like they did all they could to stop Russell winning.

Only time I watch football is England in Euros or world cup.

I genuinely felt sorry for Russell when he didn't win that race. Its mind boggling how inept the Mercedes 'strategic' team are at times. Hamilton has had a few victories stole from him because of them. Maybe its their way of making the sport interesting.

Sort of proves my point of driver skill being second. Russell had a couple of days to get used to the Merc and, through no fault of his own, had the victory stolen.

Should be interesting next year with the 'pimp my ride' cars with 50" rims. Probably just be more of the same but Snoop Dog will be probably doing the post race interviews

 

[MikeJhn]

I think Mercedes became genuinely confused when Russell showed the form he had, I don't think Toto would deliberately stop his prodigy from winning after all he is his manager, next year will be the same as always, change for change sake with little real world innovation, the only ground effect I get is from punctures in the stupid run flat tyres, six in one year, never worn a tyre out, just had to have them changed, flint strewed and pot hole roads in Kent are terrible.

On driver ability I think Graham Hill was the master, he never won a race all the other competitors lost them, he could nurse a car to keep it going whilst others fell by the wayside, shame he could not fly as well.

 

[Blackswanwood]

I find the view sport has lost something through having rules to reduce the risk of serious injury or worse very odd.

The speed and skill across the board in football today outstrips the games played in years gone by - I'd rather watch this than needing to see a potentially leg breaking tackle to get my excitement.

Anyway - roll on Saturday night so we can get on with bringing it home ... and great to see Emma Raducanu into the third round at Wimbledon ... and even if some think Lewis Hamilton isn't needed as it's easy and all done by technology I hope he's first past the chequered flag on Sunday!

Edit ... and well done to the English cricket team

 

[Just4Fun]

Sport has become neutered over the last few decades.

From where I sit I would say sport has become safer over the last few decades. I don't think that detracts from it in any way.

Excitement in sport relies upon risk, physical endeavour, uncertainty, effort.

Why include risk in that list? I would remove it and replace it with skill.

My own sport of choice is rallying, and I have been competing as a co-driver since the 1970s. Back when I started I competed in cars that, by today's standards, had limited safety features. For example, compare a modern roll cage to a 1970s roll cage. There is no doubt that the modern cage is much safer, but that makes no difference to the skill required by the crew to drive the car at high speed through a forest or wherever. OK, My perspective is that of a competitor but if a spectator wants to see us suffer injury or death if we get it wrong then I have no time for them. On the rare occasions that I spectate myself I applaud the fact that someone can have an accident and stand a good chance of walking away from it unharmed. Unfortunately it doesn't always work out that way, such as when a co-driver died over here a couple of weeks ago. I see such accidents as sad reminders that we need to keep pushing the safety side, not as something that increases the spectacle of the sport.

 

[JAW911]

Last season Williams’ George Russell (who is actually a Mercedes driver on loan to Williams) was given a drive in Lewis Hamilton’s car because LH was out with Covid. He led much of the race with an excellent drive and would have won had the team not withdrawn him with a suspected ‘puncture’ which was not visible(?) I had moments before said to my wife that I couldn’t believe they would let him win as it would show that it’s all about the car. Russell is normally in the bottom 25% as his car can’t compete with the top teams.

 

[AlanY]

That was a different era, when drivers drove their cars and knew the risk, modern drivers would probably struggle to get off the grid in the cars they drove let alone compete with the likes of Senna & Schumacher. The modern F1 is just a small step away from being a scalextric car that could be driven from the sidelines.

Also, the drivers were true superstars. My all time favourite driver was James Hunt. I used to love watching F1 back then. No longer bother. F1 is just a waste of time now (other than as a technology development and test environment for the likes of Mercedes Benz) and the drivers bore me to tears.

With a few honourable exceptions (e.g. rugby and cycling) all modern sports have been turned into woke shadows of what they once were. Football? I am surprised the players are not accompanied by their nannies given they burst into tears at the slightest physical contact and fall rolling to the ground clutching the point of contact and demanding a penalty ("I will scweam and I'll scweam..."), just to be up and running at full sprint 10 seconds later.

 

[MikeJhn]

With a few honourable exceptions (e.g. rugby and cycling) all modern sports have been turned into woke shadows of what they once were. Football? I am surprised the players are not accompanied by their nannies given they burst into tears at the slightest physical contact and fall rolling to the ground clutching the point of contact and demanding a penalty ("I will scweam and I'll scweam..."), just to be up and running at full sprint 10 seconds later.

Screaming for a penalty is very akin to objecting to the speed of a rivals pit stop, use the rules to your advantage despite the fairness of the objection or indeed the intent of them, but I agree with the cycling analogy, Garett Thomas bravery getting back up after having his shoulder put back in place after a crash and carrying on with his job is showing true grit, the same as lots of others on this Tour, some very heavily bandaged, but still doing their job, can't mention the Tour without wishing Mark Cavendish a few more wins.

 

[Glitch]

Last season Williams’ George Russell (who is actually a Mercedes driver on loan to Williams) was given a drive in Lewis Hamilton’s car because LH was out with Covid. He led much of the race with an excellent drive and would have won had the team not withdrawn him with a suspected ‘puncture’ which was not visible(?) I had moments before said to my wife that I couldn’t believe they would let him win as it would show that it’s all about the car. Russell is normally in the bottom 25% as his car can’t compete with the top teams.

The difference between all the drivers in the same cars is probably hundredths of a second difference per lap.
Vestappen said he’d be a tenth quicker than Hamilton!

A hungry youngster like Russell is unlikely to have the same fear as a driver who’s done it all and coming to the end of a lucrative career. Plus driving the car is more like a computer game these days.

Look how Danny Ricciardo is running behind young teammate Norris. Think Danny has maybe lost the hunger for it.

It’s probably 99.8% the machinery these days.
The number of times the cars line up on the grid in manufacturer order.

 

[Spectric]

It is understandable competitors want to minimise serious risks - who wants to engage in a sport and end up crippled.

That is where something has changed, we are now so wrapped up in cotton wool and pampered that we are becoming little more than frightened children when it comes to danger and risk, think back to when both Donald and Malcom campbell just got into there record breaking machines and knowing the risk just went for it, then the grand prix racing in the twenties and thirties where death and injury were just things that happened and do not forget these cars were not slow, a 1939 Auto union D9 was powered by a 485 horsepower, 3-liter V-12 and good for 200+ mph and really nothing as far as safety goes. So one conclusion is that the human race is in a state of devolution as evidenced by the rise of the wokies, are we destined to become nothings who fear their sexuality that they just cannot accept and have an autistic mentality where they believe they are equal to mother nature and have a say in who and what they are rather than being normal logical beings who accept you are what you are and although you may get a choice at a cheese counter you don't get a choice in what you are born.

 

[MikeJhn]

I used to play Golf with an ex-professional footballer, during one discussion he said that there was no difference between aggression and commitment.

 

[thomashenry]

Each to their own. I personally love football and it’s about time we are ‘allowed’ to be English and proud

When has this ever not been the case? It's just something that lots of English people seem perpetually upset about for no reason.

 

[thomashenry]

That is where something has changed, we are now so wrapped up in cotton wool and pampered that we are becoming little more than frightened children when it comes to danger and risk, think back to when both Donald and Malcom campbell just got into there record breaking machines and knowing the risk just went for it, then the grand prix racing in the twenties and thirties where death and injury were just things that happened and do not forget these cars were not slow, a 1939 Auto union D9 was powered by a 485 horsepower, 3-liter V-12 and good for 200+ mph and really nothing as far as safety goes. So one conclusion is that the human race is in a state of devolution as evidenced by the rise of the wokies, are we destined to become nothings who fear their sexuality that they just cannot accept and have an autistic mentality where they believe they are equal to mother nature and have a say in who and what they are rather than being normal logical beings who accept you are what you are and although you may get a choice at a cheese counter you don't get a choice in what you are born.

I assume this is satire, if so - bravo.

 

[thomashenry]

Also, the drivers were true superstars. My all time favourite driver was James Hunt. I used to love watching F1 back then. No longer bother. F1 is just a waste of time now (other than as a technology development and test environment for the likes of Mercedes Benz) and the drivers bore me to tears.

With a few honourable exceptions (e.g. rugby and cycling) all modern sports have been turned into woke shadows of what they once were. Football? I am surprised the players are not accompanied by their nannies given they burst into tears at the slightest physical contact and fall rolling to the ground clutching the point of contact and demanding a penalty ("I will scweam and I'll scweam..."), just to be up and running at full sprint 10 seconds later.

What does this even mean?

 

[Spectric]

I assume this is satire,

No it is reality, but more obvious to us who were born too long ago as we have seen and witnessed the changes and decline.

What does this even mean?

I assume you are young and not lived through the days when Motorsports were really dangerous and the drivers were respected, Surtees, Prost, Clarke were racing drivers whilst the likes of Hamilton may sit in a car but it is the technology that supports him, make him drive an eighties Honda and he would burst into tears because of the lack of safety features and effort needed.

 

[thomashenry]

No it is reality, but more obvious to us who were born too long ago as we have seen and witnessed the changes and decline.

I assume you are young and not lived through the days when Motorsports were really dangerous and the drivers were respected, Surtees, Prost, Clarke were racing drivers whilst the likes of Hamilton may sit in a car but it is the technology that supports him, make him drive an eighties Honda and he would burst into tears because of the lack of safety features and effort needed.

You think it's 'woke' (whatever that means) that something we watch for entertainment now carries a much lower risk of death than it once did. You think this a bad thing and is indicative of humans devolving.

I don't know what sort of strange person you must be to value entertainment by how likely it is that one of the participants might die.

Bizarre.

 

[Just4Fun]

No it is reality,

So what fatality rate would satisfy you?

Christians used to fight lions in the colosseum but I hope we have progressed beyond mindless bloodshed as a form of entertainment.