16 August

The most tedious thing about modern sport for me, at every level, is the constant attack on officials. Technology feeds it, endless replays and slow motions and microphones and projected ball trajectories, and 20 minutes later we say "bloody ref got it wrong". Ridiculous. Never mind that players get things wrong far more often than refs. It's 2 deeper issues for me. First it extends our attack on authority of all forms, into sport. (Trump, Brexit - these things are all connected.) Second the idea that technology gives the 'true' answer, which all law courts rejected ages ago, but we simplistically apply to sport. We want absolute truths, not complexity and nuance.