Colin Sheridan: what sport media's jock culture shows us about society

This past week showed we may be going backwards.

Declan Rice of Arsenal speaks to Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards, as well as presenter Kate Abdo. Pic: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards

We love absolutes. They require little imagination or thought, only a map, but no compass. Andrew Tate says X. Russell Brand says Y. If you believe either one, the path to that belief is straight. Substitute in Conor McGregor. Or Joe Rogan. Or Pat McAfee. Or Joey Barton. Express no doubt. Make no Apologies. Plough on. Listen to the High Performance Podcast. Attend a Jordan Peterson lecture. Sell your Porsche. Dump your wife. Don't just ask Debbie from accounts out to dinner. Tell her. Insist on it. Assert yourself. She will be so impressed by your self-confidence - according to the Doctrine of the Dickhead - she’ll become putty in your hands.

The flip side to this doctrine is, apparently, wokeness. Weak lefties who pander to a lobby that cultivated cancel culture and weaponised it against all men, everywhere. A war on masculinity waged by an army of penis-apologists. Many women, and some failed men. There is no middle ground. You are either with us or against us.