Ballboy aged 10 gave us note of joy, but stern realities darkened 2017 | Richard Williams

26 December 2017 08:30
Bristol City celebration and Cricket World Cup final were among the highlights in a year when sport too often seemed to reflect the corrosion of the world around itThe sight of Bristol City’s manager sweeping up a 10-year-old ballboy in a dance of pure joy to celebrate their team’s last-minute cup victory over mighty Manchester United last week added a note of sweetness to a year of conflict and contradictions. Many sports lovers had found themselves spending too much time in 2017 worrying about the integrity of what they were being asked to applaud: the integrity of the competitor, the integrity of the competition.From state-sponsored doping to tax avoidance, from child-abuse cover-ups to corruption in sport’s most powerful governing bodies, so much dishonesty seemed to have seeped into the foundations that nothing felt entirely stable. Maybe sport, rather than providing an escape from daily cares, was just reflecting the corrosion of the world around it. Related: Fifa trial leaves questions over 2022 Qatar World Cup Related: The 100 best footballers in the world 2017 Continue readingreadfullarticle

Source: TheGuardian