Every trophy that exists in sport was born out a Need. There was a gap in the market and somebody filled it. Some evolved out gradually over time (the Olympics), some came about because of the need of the politics of the sport (the Super Bowl) and some were brutally imposed to save the sport from its rivals (Super League . . . sorry, the engage Super League).
All have to adapt to circumstances and are consequently tainted by grubby politics. Even the World Cup, that seemingly most pure of contests, is routinely poisoned by pork barrel shenanigans. The need for Fifa to maximise their revenue has led to it becoming a bloated shambles. The 1986 and 1990 tournaments were hamstrung by a bizarre group system that saw 36 games played in the first round to eliminate a mere 8 teams. The current set-up of 32 finalists limits hosting the competition to a handful of countries and, worst of all, saw the destination of the 2006 finals fall into the hands of a cranky Scotch-Kiwi whose decision was, with the Rivals legal eagles hovering nervously in the background, a bit iffy. No competition is immune to this disease. Politics is the way of the world, but that doesn’t make it any less sad.
There was, however, one competition, which was above that kind of thing Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by deiseach 