Sport is a Bonus in Life

In All Fairness

The fragility of life has never been more exposed as it has been in a sporting context over the last couple of weeks. The tragic deaths of boxer John Cooney and jockey Michael O’Sullivan has reminded us all of the dangers of sport they largely compete in for our entertainment.

Now, both men accepted the dangers of the respective sports they loved, and that in a given moment, an incident can happen that could end it all, be it serious injury, or in the worst case scenario, losing their life.

Both deaths are a tragedy, as indeed all sporting related deaths are, but they remind us that what they do for us in terms of escapism is what sport is, life is more important than anything else. We all tend to get frustrated when a team we follow loses, but it’s just a game. Athletes, be it individuals or on teams, don’t go out to underperform. If they end up not winning, it is largely because other competitors/teams were just better on the day. A player could be sick, or not fully tuned in because of issues at home etc…

In a local context, Tipperary hurling is going through a tough time with our senior team. As you will read in this paper this week, manager Liam Cahill and his players are doing everything possible to try and improve the fortunes. They deserve criticism if there is a lack of effort wearing the jersey, but effort rarely is the issue when someone fails to win. They are ordinary people, with just an added profile, so remember that the next time you cut the back off a sportsperson.