Colin Sheridan: Why are we allowing money tarmac over our sporting culture?
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: Players, officials and fans take part in a minute of applause to indicate peace and sympathy with Ukraine prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion at St. James Park on March 05, 2022 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Sport, we regularly tell ourselves, is the great leveler. It is not about war or famine. It's not about sick children or jobs that cause us smothering anxiety. It is not about broken relationships or unpaid bills. It is the opposite. It is an escape. Every kid from Burkina Faso to Burma has at some point kicked a ball into an empty goal and turned to celebrate in front of 80,000 imaginary people. Sport is transcendent and it is transformative. When the troops stopped fighting on Christmas Eve in 1914, they chose to play a game of football to forget the horror of where they were.
Sport can also be confusing. Over the weekend, stadiums around Europe united in declaring their opposition to the Russian occupation of Ukraine. Across the Premier League, club captains wore special armbands in Ukrainian colours and fans were encouraged to join players, managers, match officials and club staff in a moment of reflection and solidarity before kick-off at each game. Big screens at stadiums displayed "Football Stands Together" against the backdrop of the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag.
