Best Of

Hannah Hampton
Chloe Kelly
A womens rugby player
Luke Littler
Rory McIlory
Lando Norris

Hampton won’t win it, but would be very funny if she did.

Why would it be funny?

Anyway, the full SPotY shortlist is gender-balanced but with two lady footballers so presumably not too much thought went into it.

Chloe Kelly – Football
Ellie Kildunne – Rugby Union
Hannah Hampton – Football

Lando Norris – Formula 1
Luke Littler – Darts
Rory McIlroy – Golf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cx2d33y4gzwo

Littler is the only person there who turned his sport upside down by his talent.

It’s a pub game, so not a real sport.

Can't see that it requires any less hand-eye co-ordination than say archery or golf?

Darts is more of a sport than F1 is.

One of the criteria citied often of whether something is a sport or not is 'Can you play it in a pub'.

Looking forward to next year's race in the Dog and Duck.

Bosanquet (who invented the googly) drew a distinction between games where the ball is still (golf, billiards) and where it is in motion (cricket, football). Extrapolating from that would place darts and archery in the still camp.

There's no clear defining line, but rather a range from the more pure end (athletics) to the peculiar (breakdancing). Olympic sport introduces a further refinement in that it suggests some connection with the ancient games. This brings dressage safely within the fold because equestrianism generally was such a big part of the games back then, even though many today scoff at horses dancing. Many other sports however that we accept at normal would have puzzled the ancient Greeks. Syncronised swimming puzzles me, by any criterion.

Just wondering how popular the pankration* and the chariot racing** would be.

*their form of MMA
**IIRC it was the *owner* who got the prize?

Chariot racing was an Olympic sport that was open to women, in the ancient world.

Other than that, womens' sports and gladiatorial contests were considered a form of porn.

Sean, you're a classics whizz. Save me the bother of looking it up. Wasn't it the success of a female charioteer that caused the introduction of a men only rule?

I think it was Cynisca, the sister of King Agesilaos of Sparta, who won a load of prizes for chariot racing, as owner and trainer, in the 390's. But, no woman was allowed to drive a chariot, at the contest. The fact that elite Spartan women took part in their own athletic contests, naked, was a source of fascination to the Greeks.

Thank you, Sean. You are so much better than AI.

I wonder that Robert Smithson has not tried to market you.

Thanks.

The problem with AI is that time and again, it gives plausible-sounding, but wrong, answers. I asked AI to describe the fortress of Masada, and it came back with an answer that was perfect, save for one minor point. It said that Herod the Great built the fortress in 100 BC, 28 years before he was born.

You can usually get an adequate historical answer, if you ask AI a question, for which there is a lot of online content. The less content, the more inaccurate it will be.

But, lazy students will just treat AI as gospel, and get failed accordingly. To my mind, AI should be treated like Sat Nav, or calculators. You should have a fair idea already what the answer should be, and if it comes back with something that doesn't seem right, you should verify it yourself.

Hannah Hampton
Chloe Kelly
A womens rugby player
Luke Littler
Rory McIlory
Lando Norris

Hampton won’t win it, but would be very funny if she did.

Why would it be funny?

Anyway, the full SPotY shortlist is gender-balanced but with two lady footballers so presumably not too much thought went into it.

Chloe Kelly – Football
Ellie Kildunne – Rugby Union
Hannah Hampton – Football

Lando Norris – Formula 1
Luke Littler – Darts
Rory McIlroy – Golf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cx2d33y4gzwo

usual shite list of southern UK nobodies

Couldn't agree more, Malc.

Why isn't McTominay in it?

McTominay is an Englishman (born in Lancaster) who isn’t good enough to play for England so had to drop down a level and play for Scotland.

Who's going to run the site, TSE, after Malc has dealt with you?

.

In all this mayhem and Trump idosey what is the path to normality [if it exists] and how long ?

Is it true Trump has announced the US resignation from NATO ?

Lot of talk about the European coalition of the willing but not a leader in sight, just endless meetings chasing cul de sacs, but never in the history of man has there been such hugging and self satisfaction looks from those who have nothing to really say how to get us out of this war with Ukraine

No. What makes you think that?

@Nigelb post at 4.42 on last thread

That was a US Senator.
MAGA, but as yet without the Trump sharpie tick.

OTOH

The United States is now included in the threat assessment issued by Denmark’s Defence Intelligence Service regarding risks to Denmark.

“The United States no longer excludes the possibility of using military force, even against its allies,” according to the latest assessment published by the Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste (FE), Denmark’s military intelligence agency responsible for foreign and security-related threats.

Several Danish media outlets, including Berlingske and Politiken, report on the findings.

“The United States is now using its economic and technological strength as an instrument of power, including against allies and partners,” the report states.

This marks the first time the United States has been identified in the assessment as a country that may pose a security threat to Denmark.
https://x.com/OJoelsen/status/1998512034904945093