How sports fans changed in lockdown

Quand les anglais renouent avec le sport.

Ces anglais fanas de sport ont du s'habituer à l'absence de leurs équipes et compétitions préférées des mois durant. Comment se sont-ils adaptés ? Réactions à chaud après l'annonce de la reprise des matchs de Ligue 1 au Royaume-Uni...

Some fans are excited about the return of live sport, but others have enjoyed taking a break from all the hype.

I’VE COMPLETELY FALLEN OUT OF LOVE WITH THE PREMIER LEAGUE’ 2. I missed it much less than I thought I would. Initially, I really missed the cadence of the Saturday afternoon the results, the analysis and the narrative that went with it. As time went on, I missed it a lot less and realised that trying to keep up was tiring. I’ll be a lot more selective about what I watch when it returns. I’ve completely fallen out of love with the Premier League and its feelings of self-importance. I couldn’t care less whether the league comes back or not given that people are dying from a pandemic. This has been an overdue awakening for how important football really is. Neil Tween, 36

‘I WILL WATCH SPORT WHEN IT RETURNS, BUT MORE SPARINGLY’ 3. I have not missed it nearly as much as I thought I would, especially the hype and endless coverage about very little. So much of it is exhausting and uninteresting. Sport has become a mass distraction from the properly important things, designed to relieve us of as much money as possible. I’ve not missed the shouty marketing, the obscene amounts of cash, the racism, intolerance, tribalism. I do miss the skill from sportspeople at the top of their game and will watch when it returns, but more sparingly. Stephen Price, 58

‘I’VE BEEN EDITING WIKIPEDIA PAGES OF FOOTBALL SEASONS’ 4. I’ve missed it a lot. Late at night, I have been editing Wikipedia pages of seasons gone by. I go to Liverpool games with my dad and it is the only thing we have in common. I had threatened to hug him and anyone else who wanted one (I’m not usually a hugger) when we saw them win the league, but that is not going to happen now. Dave, 31

‘I HAVE SPENT MY TIME ON MORE IMPORTANT THINGS’ 5. I haven’t missed it as much as I expected. I have spent my time on more important things, such as my daughter! When sport returns, I don’t think I will be as passionate as before but, who knows, this is football and its magic may charm me again instantly. Mert Ezic, 38 ‘I MISS THE ROUTINE OF GOING TO GAMES WITH MY FAMILY’ 6. I have been going to Wolves games for 50 years and I miss that routine terribly: the weekly pre-game analysis with my dad and godsons about our chances and tactics, as if our decisions will have a critical outcome on the game. The tension going up on the train, the pre-game pint and pork scratchings, the frantic texts on finding out the team, the game itself and the post-match analysis during the two-hour journey home. It’s brilliant. Lockdown has taught me the importance of deep relationships with family, friends, and ... Wolverhampton Wanderers. Gary Fisher, 60

‘WITHOUT SPORT ON, YOU’RE LEFT WITH THE BRUTAL REALITIES OF THE REAL WORLD’ 7. The worst thing is not having anything to discuss with friends. It is perfect for anything from a casual chat to a fiery debate, safe in the knowledge it isn’t the end of the world if you’re wrong. Without sport, you are often left with the brutal realities of the real world. Arguing over the Premier League is more fun than Brexit or Covid-19. Duncan Brown, 27

‘I WILL BE MORE PASSIONATE WHEN SPORT RETURNS’ 8. I used to wonder what life would be like without football. Now that I’ve experienced it, I never want to go through this again! I tend to organise my week around the fixture list. I will be more passionate when sport returns. It is very easy to take things for granted. The extreme highs and lows of being a football fan make life more colourful. I can’t wait until we get it back. Paul Bellamy, 46

‘FOOTBALL IS JUST A MASSIVE MONEY-MAKING EXERCISE’ 9. It is no longer a sport. It is a massive money-making exercise. The only reason there is such determination to finish the season is because of TV money. I hope I no longer pay any attention to football when it returns, although old habits die hard. Bobby Colvill, 57

‘WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY OF STAGING THE OLYMPICS IN 2021’ 10. I structure my year around sporting events. Wimbledon fortnight is redolent of childhood sunshine as I recall the gentle pick-pock and polite cheering on my mother’s radio as she prepared tea and I played in the garden. Sunday afternoons during F1 season were always a time to hunker down and whisper, so as not to spoil my dad’s enjoyment of the motor racing on TV. My life has been punctuated by the Olympics. I remember the excitement of watching the 1968 Games on TV. We have to find a way of staging the Tokyo Games in 2021. It would be a loss to humanity not to come together in some way to celebrate what humans can achieve in the sporting realm. Elizabeth Booth, 60