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Sunday 15 May 2022

On the sidelines



FA Cup final: Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says he 'could not be more proud' after beating Chelsea

Eurovision 2022: How Sam Ryder turned things around for the UK


It would be interesting to know how many people have little interest in absurdly hyped events such as the FA Cup final and the Eurovision Song Contest. Both events give the impression that those who are uninterested must be a minority of curmudgeons on the sidelines but I suspect it isn't so.

Yet the hype continues as it always has. Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties, a result which was not far removed from the toss of a coin. As for Eurovision, nothing was turned around for the UK, although Boris may possibly manage to extract something from it - temporarily.

7 comments:

Sam Vega said...

Bread and circuses. I've always thought that people who get stirred up by such things as football and Eurovision must avoid introspection. The alternative would be to live with a sense of mild embarrassment. "God, what was I thinking last night? All that shouting at the telly!"

The Jannie said...

The girls are watching the recorded Yawnvision so they can fast forward through the worst. As an unwilling listener I did notice that, presumably in the interests of economy, they have used the braindead audience from Britain Has No Talent. It did occur to me that Yawnvision might be sparked up by some choirs of unwell childrn or cute dog acts.

dearieme said...

Au bleedin' contraire: the Cup Final had everything my wife likes about a football match i.e. a penalty shoot-out: the only bit she'll watch.

I once asked her whether she'd ever been to a game. Just once, before I knew her. An Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, and the Chief Constable of Glasgow, took her to an Old Firm game on New Year's Day.

Ah, said I, at Ibrox or Parkhead? No idea, said she.

James Higham said...

So you were not enamoured of Saturday's fayre, AKH? :)

DiscoveredJoys said...

I'm completely unmoved by Eurovision or the FA Cup, or the OSCARs and BAFTAs for that matter. Apart from these being self congratulatory festivals of luvvies and athletes I'm upset by all the commentators reading all sorts of meanings into events (and non events) when often chance alone is the best description.

It's part of the modern malady for assuming that everything is meaningful and important... and if everything is important then nothing is important, including Eurovision etc.

A K Haart said...

Sam - I'm sure you are right, they must avoid even mildly critical introspection. I remember watching a Chelsea match decades ago where a nearby spectator kept nervously rubbing his hands together. By the end of the match blood was coming from his fingernails.

Jannie - choirs of unwell children or cute dog acts? Best not give them ideas.

dearieme - maybe that's the way forward for football. Penalty shoot-out unless one side wins by three clear goals. That way it's always exciting.

James - fortunately I didn't know it was on until afterwards, although I did catch the penalty shoot-out while checking to see if Maigret was on later.

A K Haart said...

DJ - yes, if everything they big up is important then nothing is important. Some years ago people discussed these events socially - "did you see..." but now it seems less common to do so.