Seventy years ago this summer the clouds of war were gathering around the world and Britain's approach of appeasement had clearly not worked leaving the country was completely unprepared for the ensuing conflict. In the twenty years since the end of the previous war Britain as a nation was undoubtedly in decline both at home during the Great Depression but as importantly abroad as our Empire began to disintegrate.
This decline was reflected in our sporting prowess as a nation and in some sports we have not noticeably recovered e.g. we have not produced a male winner of a Tennis Grand Slam tournament since 1935. Many reasons have been put forward this decline some of which are relevant but what I find more startling is how this decline has been reversed in the first decade of 21st Century.
Perhaps the most compelling reason for the decline is traced back to the shocking casualty toll that Britain experienced in the first world war with a significant proportion of a generation being either killed or wounded. This is of course relevant but it should be remembered that proportionately many other European nations suffered to the same degree and so maybe this just becomes a convenient excuse. This is backed up when you look at the medal tables from the Olympics won by Britons both before the war and immediately afterwards when Britain was typically in the top 5 nations and it was only from 1928 at the Amsterdam Olympics that our trend of targeting the top 10 nations set-in.
Another argument that has been put forward was that we were an idealistic nation enshrined in an amateur ethos. Again there is substance to this view but it should also be remembered that at that time many sports were played on an amateur basis throughout the world and professional sports such as Golf and Football were played in this country as they were elsewhere. Linked with this reason could be that our sport's administrators were enshrined in this ethos and England did not enter Football World Cup's before the war because it was viewed that as a nation we did not need to win a World Cup to prove we were the best.
After the war other excuses started to be used though no doubt our amateur approach still played an important part. These excuses ranged from the lack of investment into sport by Government, particularly in comparison with the Soviet Bloc countries who also weren't afraid to use pharmaceutical methods to improve performance.
There was also the world becoming a smaller place and more countries particularly in the third world focusing on a sport and producing world beaters who became ambassadors for their country - the East African nations in athletics are a good example of this.
As the 20th Century drew to a conclusion another reason put forward was that we were only a small nation (at least by population) in comparison with other countries and that we were dividing our resources to thin across too many sports leading us to becoming a "jack of all trades nation and master of none".
My belief is that we hit the bottom of the trough about the mid 1990's - we failed to qualify for the 1994 Football World Cup & at the 1996 summer Olympics we only managed one gold medal - and two further reasons were put forward for our failure as a sporting nation. Firstly, that because of the unprecedented economic growth over the previous fifty years we had become too comfortable and a career in sport would not produce the rewards available in other walks of life; Secondly, the reason for our decline was the lack of sporting facilities particularly in our schools where playing fields were being turned into housing estates.
In a sense there is some truth in every argument but what that doesn't explain is why in the space of a decade there has been such a turnaround in our sporting fortunes. It should always be remembered that whilst the trend up to this time was undoubtedly downward there were some (isolated) achievements including Bannister's 4 minute mile, winning the Football World Cup in 1966, the exploits of Coe and Ovett, Liverpool's and other teams successes in European football whilst not forgetting Steve Redgrave's Olympic achievements. There was one sport where we were regularly being successful and that was in the field of F1 Motor Racing where other than the 1980's Britain has produced at least one World Champion in every decade since the Championship started in the 1950s, Britons have won more championships and races than any other nation and British cars have been equally successful with to this day much of the industry being based in the UK.
So what has changed? As with the reasons for decline the reasons for the upturn are many and various. Two that should be immediately dismissed are that firstly, it couldn't get any worse and to that I'd answer why not? Secondly, the London Olympic effect should also be discounted as we were only awarded them four years ago and yet the upward trend started well before then though this effect may sustain the growth going forward.
There are two key reasons I have identified and the first and foremost has been the movement from the old amateur ethos to a professional approach to sport in this country. Up to the mid 1990's most Olympic sports and Rugby Union were still essentially amateur sports and in this country were run on that basis though other nations had taken more professional approaches but within the bounds of the amateur regulations in place. By becoming more professional in approach, various sports embraced the techniques being employed elsewhere in the world and this has led to an influx of foreign coaches and administrators into our sports but also the utilisation of technology, psychology and any other tool that can turn our sportsmen and women into winners. The success in swimming and Rugby Union where England won the 2003 World Cup and made the final of the 2007 tournament just go to demonstrate how this embrace of professionalism has changed our fortunes.
Of course one aspect of professionalism that should not be ignored is that sports men and women can now embark on a sports career full-time and not have to hold down another job as well. In some sports this can be extremely lucrative and success can breed further success and encourage more money into the sport. It also means that sports stars have become the new rock and pop stars and the celebrity that goes with it which for some budding sportsmen and women is no doubt part of the attraction.
Another reason that can't be underestimated to account for the success is the growth of media coverage of sport whether it be the internet, large sport sections of newspapers and perhaps most important of all Satellite Television, Sky Sports in particular. The benefits this has brought aren't just limited to the huge revenues that can be generated by a sport for its coverage but also the fact that nearly every significant sporting event from anywhere in the world can be watched in real time and our youngsters can watch and think I want to do that. Another benefit is that the coverage can be used as a technology feed by coaches to improve performance.
The most obvious success is football where the formation of the Premier League and Sky Sports' coverage went hand in hand and has led to unprecedented club success in Europe in recent years and huge amounts of foreign investment. I for one never imagined that a footballer could be bought for more money than the budget of a leading F1 team but that is now the reality!
I for one think that this success will continue for some time, despite the current economic conditions because of the two key reasons outlined above but also because as a winning nation success will breed further success and encourage our next generation of sports stars.
We are still only half way through the year and yet trying to identify the ten shortlisted sportsmen and women for BBC's Sports Personality of the Year will be as difficult if not more difficult than last year and choosing a winner at this stage nigh on impossible. Contenders just from the last few days and weeks already include Andrew Flintoff, Andy Murray, Amir Khan, Bradley Wiggins, Jenson Button, Jessica Ennis, Kerry-Anne Payne Mark Cavendish and Tom Daley.
Keep going Britain's sportsmen and women because all of this success certainly makes me cheerful and gives me something to write about.
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