Sport gives us the truth

It is often said casually that sport is the “most beautiful hobby in the world”. Of course, we have long known that this is not the case. Sport has become a gigantic business, the dimensions of which naturally depend on the type of physical education practiced. Football is a million-dollar game, while many smaller ball sports are barely making ends meet. Similar to ice hockey clubs, there are also individual athletes who define themselves by their passion and have to personally spend every cent every month. And yet almost everyone keeps going because this positive virus is a constant motivation to explore the limits of their own performance more and more intensively. The many consumers of all the services provided are primarily informed about the respective results via various media. And the best thing, really the very best thing, is the fact that there is almost never fake news or that we are told lies. A win is a win, a draw is a draw. These are established facts, as are times and distances achieved in athletics, for example. This is called incorruptibility of technology, which is of course lacking where it cannot be used in such a targeted manner. Referees in all sports where they are necessary make mistakes. Some of them have had an impact spanning more than half a century.

Just think of the “Wembley goal” in 1966 that the English scored in the final against Germany at the World Cup. In the 101st minute, Englishman Geoff Hurst shot from close range at the goal guarded by Hans Tilkowski. The ball bounced off the bottom edge of the wooden crossbar onto the ground, jumped up and Wolfgang Weber headed the ball over the goal. The Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst initially awarded a corner kick, which, as we have since found out scientifically, would have been correct. After consulting with the Soviet linesman Tofiq Bahramov, he then pointed to the center circle. Goal. The game ended 4-2 for England because Germany then exposed their defense in dismay and shock. The technology has now almost completely taken hold. “Wembley goals” are no longer possible, nor are goals in which the ball slides into the goal from the side through a hole in the net, as was the case with Stefan Kießling in 2013, whose header actually slipped through the broken mesh from outside. Kießling did not admit this. The goal counted and went down in history as the “Phantom Goal”. Who else can you believe? And yet hot discussions keep breaking out, like the recent international match between the Netherlands and Germany, when a clear penalty was not given for the hosts in Amsterdam. Even ARD expert Bastian Schweinsteiger spoke clearly after the game about a penalty that would have been justified. Then the DFB team would have lost the game. So it ended in a draw. A fixed value and as such not to be discussed. One result, one fact. In many ways, sport is ultimately an island of bliss in an ocean of lies and intrigue, in which one almost sinks in the current news situation. International and national. Who else can you believe? In Russia's war against Ukraine, reports are coming every hour. It has long been proven that the propaganda machines are running at full speed and modern means of communication are being shamelessly exploited. The truth probably only exists through eyewitness reports, for example from correspondents in reputable media who do not tend to exaggerate but concentrate on facts. Journalists risk life and limb to be able to offer us a piece of the truth and still have to fight against many skeptics.

But they are also the people who rarely or not at all want to answer for their wrongdoings and who then keep telling us new stories in hastily called press conferences. And we, the consumers, are soon almost overwhelmed by the many differentiated opinions, as in the SAD affair that is currently shaking the SVP in South Tyrol. This is not a local phenomenon, but rather appears like a ghost across all borders. Politics is no longer a free trade zone everywhere because too many dependencies and entanglements cloud the view and influence decisions. I praise the sport in all the discussions that take place after a football game, for example. And almost every sport, even if I have to accept that betting fraud and doping have still not been eradicated. Nevertheless, the competitions and their results present a clear news situation. And such a thing is a blessing these days.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Sport gives us the truth

At a time when the news situation seems to be bursting at the seams, our columnist Sigi Heinrich has discovered sport as an island of truth. Results cannot lie, but are irrevocable and established facts.

Suggestions

Comments (0)