Smash And Gabby
‘ON the one hand, the papers show how far football has come since it was rebranded as family entertainment. On the front of the Times’ ”The Game” section, TV presenter Gabby Logan shoves a ball up her Sheffield Wednesday football top and holds it in the manner of an expectant mum. ”In the family way,” says the headline, inviting sports fans to go straight to pages 4 and 5 to read more.
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| ”Isn’t sport just soooo much fun!” |
On the other hand, the Mirror and Sun both lead with a story on how, although the packaging is shiny and alluring, the contents are just the same. In ”Foulo Di Canio” the Mirror cocks an ear toward the conversation between West Ham United’s Italian firebrand and the team manger, Glenn Roeder. Readers join the action as Roeder is about to substitute the player in West Ham’s defeat at Spurs.
”F*** you, f*** you, f*** you,” says the Italian.” And says Roeder: ”He is a very passionate man and he is a man who plays football without any fear in his body.” And likes to tell you where to go, eh, Glenn?
But who needs words, however short and unsweet, when a picture can say so much? David Beckham to most is a clean, fun-loving guy who likes to imbibe helium and say how much he loves his wife.
And on the pitch, according to today’s picture in the Mail, he likes to elbow Leeds United’s Lee Bowyer in the face. Now this might not be a massive jump from his nice guy image, and Bowyer does resemble an urchin of the lowest order, but elbowing is so very un-Beckham, so very unmarketable.
”David Beckham always chooses elbow guards from Man at Tweed” might make a thousand geography teachers purr, but it’s not sexy.
What is sexy is being the fastest man ever to walk the earth. And that’s what Tim Montgomery is. As the Telegraph reports, the American sprinter has just set the world record for the 100 metres, tearing down the track in a nifty 9.78 seconds.
The Telegraph’s man in Paris does well to catch up with Montgomery, and once at his side shares a few words. ”The day was perfect,” says the record-breaking athlete. ”I always thought I could beat the world record but I never thought it would happen here.”
That’s a sentiment shared by many, as the pictures show a virtually empty Charlety Stadium. But he did it, and is on his way to becoming one of the world’s most famous sports personalities.
That’s as soon as Gabby Logan moves out of the way…
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Posted: 16th, September 2002 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
