Why Sport Matters
| 09:58 UK time, Monday, 8 January 2007
I used to admire people who could tell you who won the 1974 FA Cup Final (it was Liverpool, I cheated and checked) or who won Gold in the 1500 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympics (Sebastian Coe, and I didn't have to look that up).
I wasn't envious, though. I thought they possibly needed to get out more. Why all the fuss about sports? I wondered.
But as my youngest son grows older, I'm recognising the value in meaningless sporting detail.
Of course I know the Bill Shankly line - the former Manchester United manager responded to a reporter who asked him if football was a matter of life and death with "It's much more important than that!"
What I mean, though, is the value sporting knowledge can have on relationship building.
With 8-year-olds, even your own, there tends to be a limited number of discussion topics.
"How was school?" "Fine." "What did you do?" "Stuff..." "What stuff?" "I forget."
But once we get onto football and his favourite team, Arsenal, there is no limit to the things we can talk about.
He knows all the names of all the players, including reserves. He understands the offside rule better than me - who knew about the 'inactive player' rule?
Best of all, it's an interest he can share across the generations since his Grandad is a big soccer fan, too.
And now he's eight, he doesn't cry anymore when they lose.
