Sport
2,500 years of gyms (and you’re still better off walking the dog)
My favourite fact about gyms before reading this book was that the average British gym member covers 468 miles per…
I miss the days when French rugby was great. Thierry Dusautoir must, too
It used to be such a treat of a winter weekend, sitting down to watch France against Wales in Paris…
Like Arthur Daley playing Garry Kasparov: why I won’t miss Harry Redknapp
I can’t say I’m surprised by the departure of Harry Redknapp. Since I started supporting Queens Park Rangers in 2008…
We should be grateful for Andy Murray (and Kim Sears)
It wasn’t that long ago when the most exciting event in any British tennis fan’s life was whether Jeremy Bates…
The myth of Steven Gerrard
‘As a leader and a man, he is incomparable to anyone I have ever worked with.’ Obviously quite some guy,…
London’s real Olympic legacy: paying to build the stadium twice
Giving London’s Olympic stadium a ‘legacy’ is proving to be a very costly business
What does Duncan Fletcher actually do?
Some years ago, when the last Conservative government was limping towards defeat, someone published a book called 101 Uses for…
Spectator letters: A defence of nursing assistants, a mystery shotgun, and a response to Melanie Phillips
Poor treatment Sir: Jane Kelly’s article (‘No tea or sympathy’, 2 August) on the lack of empathy and emotional support…
Why squash deserves a place in the Olympics
Thank god for the Commonwealth Games: at least they gave us a brief respite from football transfer stories. Instead of…
Simon Barnes’s diary: A sportswriter is never without a big subject (unless it’s golf)
Sport is like love: it can only really hurt you if you care. Or for that matter, bring joy. You…
Alastair Cook is world class. Steven Gerrard isn’t
This time last year, England’s cricketers were 2-0 up against Australia, two thirds of the way towards their third consecutive…
So are public-sector workers really underpaid?
Public benefit Public sector unions held a strike over pay. How well are public-sector workers paid compared with their counterparts…
What’s right with Saracens — and José Mourinho’s Chelsea
It’s hard to love Saracens rugby club — their centre is called Bosch, a word that also describes their bulldozing…
In defence of the Boat Race
It’s Boat Race time again and as soon as the BBC starts its broadcast on Sunday there will be those…
In defence of the BBC’s Sochi commentators
You can trust the BBC to behave like a leaf blown by any breeze, but even that spineless leviathan (if…
It’s not just Kevin Pietersen. England needs a whole team of new heroes
Englishmen used to be deported to Australia as a punishment. Now they get sent back to England as an act…
Five reasons to be cheerful about British sport (yes, even the cricket)
James Cook’s third voyage as an English captain ended in disaster, stabbed to death and disembowelled by a pack of…
Golf’s $10 million nobodies
Golf has reached the eye-watering end of the season in the United States. By Sunday night, one man in a…
Suddenly, the future of British golf looks bright
Were you still up, as they used to say about Portillo in the 1997 election, for Hedwall? It was well…
Football’s still the big boy in the playground – even when the big boys aren’t playing
It’s been a long, hot, soccerless holiday. There has been football about — the women’s European Championship, for example, and…
I’m sick of sponsoring you to suffer
Every charitable donation now seems to come with a promise to suffer
Can anyone save Aussie cricket?
Insomniacs, invalids and cricket obsessives (step forward yours truly) were probably the only people who stumbled on it, but BBC4…
Books are a load of crap - the sporty kids have got it made
What a glorious sporting summer it has been so far. For some the highlight will have been Andy Murray at…
Has Test Match Special lost its wits?
Test Match Special is the sound of the English summer. Why are we letting it be vulgarised?
Spectator sport: Why Andy Murray may be the greatest sportsman Britain has produced
There’s nothing we old folk like more than a chat about how poorly all our friends and acquaintances are. This…
