Violence in sport is akin to the Coliseum

“It is time a precedent was set and that the casual, nasty violence undermining our national games was stamped out”.

Your editorial (Irish Examiner, June 23) on cheating, drug abuse and violence in sports is timely and sadly, true. Few people are fooled that sport is about healthy, communal participation, fairness or noble endeavour.

The American football coach Red Sanders’ adage that ‘winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing’ is the predominant mantra. And how the winning comes about doesn’t matter it seems.