This evening, courtesy of live television, I watched the England men's football team beat Switzerland to reach the semi-finals of The European Nations Cup. It was an enthralling, closely fought match in which the teams were level at 1-1 after half an hour of extra time. Consequently, the game had to be decided on penalty kicks. Here England came out on top - scoring all of their five penalties while Manuel Akanji of Switzerland saw his kick saved.
Now we will be playing The Netherlands on Wednesday evening in Dortmund to decide which team will advance to the final in Berlin on Sunday 14th July. There the other finalists will be either France or Spain.
It's all very exciting and sometimes nerve-wracking.
Professional sports have become part of the entertainment industry. Many millions of people find much distraction and indeed joy through watching their chosen sports. Top players are paid a king's ransom and for many onlookers how their team performs means much more to them than any form of religious belief.
Societies put successful sportsmen and sportswomen on pedestals but when all is said and done, sport is not really all that important. It rides upon the back of real life like all other forms of entertainment. Real life is about survival, keeping a roof over your head and putting food on the table. In real life it's all about your particular version of "the daily grind". You get up and go to work day after day, year after year. We can only dream of standing in the spotlight, entertaining our fellow citizens.
Sport has given me plenty of pleasure through the years - along with plenty of heartache. Nonetheless, I recognise that it has all been a kind of distraction from things that really matter. Still, I will be cheering England on right to the end of The European Nations tournament and hoping that this time our team can rise to the top like cream in a milk jug. COME ON ENGLAND!
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/tWy7TcG