In the Midst of Sporting Gods

Often we look back at the sportsmen and women of the past with a sense of nostalgia and with the opinion that we witnessed the greats. But take a moment to think of today’s professionals and we see that we are witnessing sporting greats today. Roger Federer may well be the best tennis player we’ve ever seen, Tiger Woods the best golfer and, unless Lewis Hamilton can better his record, Michael Schumacher the best Formula One Driver. Never have we seen at any one point in sporting history so many professionals in so many sports playing at the top of their game so consistently. Federer and Woods continue to be the favourites with betting odds and pundit support behind them. Hamilton has a long way to go if he is to beat Schumacher’s record eight world championships, starting with the British Grand Prix and odds stacked firmly in his favour at 5/2. Many seeing it as a great shame that we never were able to see the two battle it out on the track. Those with a knowledge of Schumacher’s mentality and hatred of anything but winning see it as a cunningly timed retirement, the German bowing out before a young Brit could steal his limelight. Hamilton’s impending F1 drive was known about before it was made official, and Schumacher would not have wanted to run the risk of being outclassed by a rookie.

Spain’s victory at the Euro 2008 tournament could be the start of something great and the English Premier League has never been so fruitful, with Manchester United claiming a league and European double and the standard of play the best in the world. England’s cricket team is strong and its rugby squad an encouraging thought for the future. With so much to choose from it is all too easy to forget that we are witnessing masterclasses from many of the modern day greats in a variety of sports. In years to come we will look back at the sportsmen and women of today and realise that we were lucky to be able to watch them, support them and admire them. We didn’t ask for it, we certainly didn’t expect it, but we are living in the midst of sporting gods.