The Critic Magazine

ARE U.S. SPORTS ACTUALLY SUPERIOR TO OURS?

SIR RICHARD TURNBULL, the last governor of Tanganyika, once assured Denis Healey that “when the British Empire finally sinks beneath the waves of history, it will leave behind it only two monuments: one is the game of Association Football (above), the other is the expression ‘Fuck off’”.

This was unnecessarily pessimistic. The British Empire bequeathed to our former colonies not only the English language, the rule of law and parliamentary democracy, but many sports beyond football. Indians love cricket, South Africans love rugby, and this

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Critic Magazine

The Critic Magazine4 min read
The Final Lap
THE SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX, 1994. THIRTY years ago this May Day. AYRTON SENNA sits on the start line and removes his helmet, which he never usually does. “The helmet hides feelings which cannot be understood,” he once said. Today, he doesn’t bother to
The Critic Magazine3 min read
Fighting Lies With Lies
PROPAGANDA AND DISINFORMATION AREamong the biggest threats facing liberal democracies today. The internet’s promise to democratise information, while partly fulfilled, has further polarised societies by nurturing ignorance and feeding conspiracy theo
The Critic Magazine4 min read
Robert Thicknesse on Opera
YOU KNOW THE STORY, BUT HERE’S a reminder: SCOTTISH WEDDING — THREE DEAD. If any operatic image can elbow out the chesty soprano snuffing it on the bed, it’s got to be the wild-eyed bride of Lammermoor in her blood-spattered wedding dress: little Luc

Related Books & Audiobooks