Tag Archives: brooklyn dodgers

Things we hold dear

Like many the lockdown left me searching for things to do in this unique situation.

A search on the Film 4 website took me to the complete series of the hit US comedy Seinfeld so I decided to work my way through it knowing that it would make me laugh as it did 25 years ago. Throughout the series there are passing references to sport and politics which got me thinking about both in a somewhat unusual way.

Seinfeld is set in New York, a city that lost its iconic baseball team the Brooklyn Dodgers back in the late 1950s when the owner moved them to Los Angeles. Thousands had packed into the Dodgers stadium for decades but that didn’t save it from the wrecking ball.

Here in the UK too stadiums and teams have also been consigned to history. In my home town of Reading the football team I have supported since childhood moved grounds in 1998 and, although it was within the same borough, I always missed the old place where I stood on the terraces engrossed in the action. Worse still, the town’s speedway club Reading Racers, twice British champions, saw their stadium close in 2008 with promises from the local council to find a new one coming to nothing. Racers fans are still waiting. Now the economic crisis brought about by Coronavirus threatens the existence of many more sports clubs.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 5 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • expats
    May I suggest a slogan for 'Count Binface'... "If I get given £5million for being your MP, I'll spend it on Clacton Not Ferraris!"...
  • Ruth Bright
    Dear Mathew, You have been 100% successful in paying tribute to your Mum with your recent work. Thank you for raising the issue of UTI where the risks for all w...
  • Russell
    Really nice piece. Thanks. Comments re Anne Widdecombe are a refreshing change from social media. Those who knew her seemed to really like her. Sorry to hear ab...
  • David Raw
    Agree with Mick Taylor, but would also suggest Count Binface is no mug..... he's an Oxford graduate in classics and classical languages, literatures and linguis...
  • Mick Taylor
    Some posters on here are real killjoys. If Binface were to beat Farage it would end Farage's political career. And let's face it, Binface could hardly be a wors...