Hacker: The End of the Entertainers?

The world of sport has, it seems, taken a turn for the serious. Everywhere you look there is an allegation of something insidious. The John Terry/Anton Ferdinand saga - punctuated bafflingly by various Chelsea and England alumni proclaiming JT as a “model professional” – carries great resonance. Now racist he may or may not be, but here is a man who’s morals are clearly dubious. Cricket’s nose is far from clean following the sentencing of 3 Pakistani internationals to jail terms after the spot-fixing debacle. As one observer put it “when its participants stop trying, the whole concept of sport is in danger”. While Mike Tindall has effectively been forced into international retirement following his extra-marital night-time exploits during England’s Rugby world cup campaign. Racism, Fraud, Adultery, if sport echoes society what does that say about the 21st century? Has sport lost its true purpose…to entertain?

Well to put it bluntly, no. Far be it for a Hacker article to espouse the positive virtues of the sporting universe, but it doesn’t take long before the stories of the malign begin to grate. Indeed it is for this reason that its not surprising that Mario Balotelli has become such a cult figure. Deemed “crazy” by the British media, Ballotelli has been the feature of many an off the pitch antic. Be it, building a racetrack in his garden, setting fire to his own house or even the surely apocryphal tale of giving £1000 pounds to a homeless person. On the field of play he frequently infuriates by attempting the impossible; however it is this asset, which sets him apart, which makes him compelling, which ultimately keeps the entertainment alive. To misquote a famous computer ad from the 1990’s “here’s to the crazy one, because those who think they can score a backheel from the edge of the area, are the ones who do”.

Golf’s Australian Open this past week showed the essence of sport’s entertainment. John Daly, the world’s number 666 but a 2 time major winner no less, hit 6 tee shots into the same water on the 11th hole and promptly shook hands with the tournament organiser and left. In a world of over-trained, over-paid, unfamiliar sports stars, which weekend golfer couldn’t empathise with that? Here is a professional, providing entertainment not by achieving excellence but by showing traits we can all relate to. That’s why Daly is invited to play in Australia’s biggest Golf tournament and the world number 665 is not. Daly’s exploits are reminiscent of former Tennis player Fabrice Santoro. The ‘magician’ as he was known, retired last year at the age of 37, he has lost more professional singles matches than any other player in Tennis history. Yet put his name into a popular video-sharing website and a sports fan of any discipline can spend a few hours being entertained. Santoro hit shots no one expected and regularly so, what set him apart was his ability to enjoy himself, after all is that not what sport is all about?

The controversies that have blighted sport in the past few weeks are not to be ignored, indeed the seriousness with which the media have dealt with them is commendable. However, from Santoro’s behind the back lob to Ballotelli’s overhead acrobatics, sport continues to amuse, charm and intrigue and long may it do so.