Two long lasting events start again today: the first is the kick off of the new Premier League Football season; the second is the start of the new season of The X Factor.
Fascinatingly, the two events are linked not just by their start date but, one feels, the lack of enthusiasm for them. This is not just the seeming minority of us who have always looked upon the turgid display of uncharismatic ego boosting in this most hyper-inflated of talent shows with a sense of weary dread. The same goes for The X Factor, by the way.
No, there is a significant lack of momentum leading up to these two events. The responsible culprit for this is, obviously, the fact that we have spent a whole fortnight celebrating and relishing the sight of sportsmen, athletes, real heroes, real celebrities, who put their time and energy into everything, absolutely everything, to achieve their goals.
This writer does not believe for one second that the contestants of The X Factor have gone through the same journey. On a rare occasion, maybe, but even the most talented of winners - Leona Lewis as an example -- have seemingly faded into the distance. The Premier League footballers, paid far too much for ninety minutes of unremarkable showmanship, may have a stronger legacy in history, but that legacy is now in crisis thanks to London 2012.
If people wish to watch any of these shows -and sadly, hypocritically, this writer will be keeping his eyes on the Premier League and the progress of Arsenal Football Club, despite all his moaning - then by all means let them. But let's watch them with that sense of cynicism, that overall feeling of in the moment and then push it to the farthest reaches of our mind. It's boring. It's boorish. But Bolt, Ennis, the sports that are overlooked by people, the sports like volleyball that have had no funding in this country for the past two years; keep celebrating them. And if not, it's Saturday night. Go to the movies or the theatre. Help your starved mind with some real drama. Not pap.
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