I seem to remember the 30th of July was hot. It was certainly beautiful. Dreamy, almost.
And I can sort of remember all the people out on the streets. Some walking around with their arms in the air; others running and doing little dances and shouting with joy. Just as me and my mates were. Four two, fo-ou-r two, four two… For that was the score.
The reason I don’t remember quite as clearly as I’d like to was that it was 30th July 1966. And I was pretty young then. Well…young, anyway. But at least I can say I was there when we won the World Cup in 66. Watched it on the telly. Danced on the streets afterwards.
Great sporting events like this build spirit, create communities, bind the nation together. Unforgettably. Hallelujah.
Other events of great moment become famous for their statistics. They are expressed in terms of kilowatt demand as TV watchers en masse switched on their kettles to make their half-time cuppas in the 1998 Argentina v. England match where the youngest player and youngest goalscorer, Michael Owen, thrilled us with his goal against the Argies. Or in viewing numbers as seven million of us watched the 2005 Ashes triumph on terrestrial TV (at work, as I remember) against two million on Sky this summer.
Everyone will have their favourite event, too. Whether it’s football or tennis (Nadal v. Federer at Wimbledon) or horse racing (Red Rum’s magnificent three wins) or ice skating (Torvill and Dean) or rowing (Sir Stephen Redgrave) and zillions more. Sometimes just the names are enough to evoke the memories: Ali v. Foreman, Pietersen and Flintoff , Paul Gascoigne, Mark Spitz, Eric Cantona. All seen on TV.
And that’s what matters most: it’s the telly what done it. And in this media fragmenting world it’s set to continue. Were you watching England’s last qualifier on your PC? Or in the uncomfortable darkness of your local cinema? I hope not.
So well done our Gordon Brown — and I mean this — for putting the batting-for-the-Conservatives Mr Murdoch on the back foot. It’s only right that the crown jewels of great sporting events are made available to the many and not the few. That cricket, however well televised it may be by Sky, is available for the greater enjoyment of everybody rather than the privileged paying few.
Who knows how Sky’s deal with test cricket might have panned out had he not angered our beloved PM by supporting Dave. But right now, who cares. Well, probably the NHS: they’re fretting about their massive and rising costs in dealing with Britain’s great under-exercised and over-weight young people. More sport on the telly might create more arm-chair supporters but it might equally act as an incentive to get out there and kick ass.
In the meantime, my own new sofa is on order. There’s only one Gordon Brown.
