Summertime blue's

Well where did it all go? It's been two months with no postings, but I can't recall being overly busy to be that distracted, although possibly there was little going on in the World. 

So a quick check of my diary shows that SWMBO was away on holiday for a week, I worked at the Open Golf Championships for a week, I went to a 70th birthday in Huddersfield, played about 15 rounds of golf, had a routine brain scan (all clear) as I was having stress headaches and celebrated our wedding anniversary at Hawksmoor, a steak restaurant in Liverpool centre. That was just in July!!

August was more golf, several bbq's and another 70th birthday, SWMBO away at here sister's for a few days with the ankle biters and me at the Forest of Arden golf resort with 240 fellow golf club captains. It could have been messy but was actually quite reserved.

We have now entered September and all my 'grumpy old man' attributes are getting a really good airing. Why? Because the sports World has gone mad. Firstly the Spanish football president kisses one of the lady World Cup winning players. There has been uproar and it has taken up far more column inches than the war in Ukraine. Please lets put these things in perspective. Clearly clutching his groin was an action he should have avoided but everything else has just been over exposed!!

Now the English Lionesses footballers want pay parity with the men. This is a continuing theme throughout at the moment. The tennis players got their way with equal prize funding even though they only play three sets compared with the men playing five. If the products are the same then I am happy the prize fund should be so too. In football, the money is in the Premiership, and the wages and prize fund reflect that, the players in the lower divisions are paid proportionately. Lady's football is nowhere near Premiership level so should be paid accordingly. Somebody needs to take a stand and point this out.

Now the rugby World Cup has started in France, we are again seeing the positive discrimination which has forced it's way into sports commentary. Ladies do not have the lower range of vocal cords to present a fast moving sport like rugby. As the game gets exciting their range gets higher pitched and difficult to listen to. Add in the fact that all panels now need to include one lady pundit and it just shows how commentating has gone from one extreme to the other

Luckily the rugby has started off with good quality games and a fair bit of controversy, and there is always the mute button if things do get a bit out of hand vocally. Allez le blanc!