Inside Sport July 2015

I FOUND myself interviewing Stuart O’Grady for this issue, the first time I’ve ever spoken to him. O’Grady’s career doesn’t only run parallel with the incredible boom in cycling in this country, it encompasses the life of this magazine. It seems like another era now, probably because it was, but he was there with our team pursuiters back at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, winning silver in the first year that we were putting this magazine together. Even with all the question marks around his sport, I have to say I have particularly admired him as an athlete and as a person, without ever meeting him. There was always something about the way he rode a bike that moved me. No flash. No dash. Just pure grit. We…

WORST OF ORIGIN Over the years I have enjoyed Inside Sport’s original and deeply insightful views on sport, whether they be connected to issues affecting the on-field mechanics of a game, or the machinations of sport at boardroom level. Amidst the almost-unbearable hype leading up to the opening match of this year’s series, it was refreshing to read your story “The Price of Origin” in your last issue (June 2015) for a look at the damage the showpiece of the sport is causing to the domestic National Rugby League competition. Anyone who witnessed that horrifying, almost-tryless, boring match played out between the Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys at Campbelltown before the series opener would agree with you guys that the “price” of Origin may just be too high. If…

LOSER The unravelling of FIFA has a long way to play yet. Anyone who thought that president Sepp Blatter would simply step aside when the scale of corruption under his watch was revealed has been mightily wrong. In fact, it looks like it is going to require some kind of explosive force to unseat a scoundrel of his stature. Maybe his arrest? Stay tuned on that one ... Staying tuned and keeping the blowtorch to FIFA’s belly is what is required in the corridors of football power now. Sadly, we are already seeing a quietening of the story in the media as the entrenched powers in that toxic organisation reassert themselves and news editors start to worry about scandal fatigue. It is the way of the modern world, but hopefully…

WIN Think you can write a funnier caption for this pic than our humour-challenged Inside Sport staffer? Check out page 87 for your chance to prove your wit and win stuff.…

CALL IN THE FEDS “Whether you call it soccer or football, the fans, players and sponsors around the world who love this game should not have to worry about officials corrupting their sport. This case isn’t about soccer, it's about fairness and following the law.” – FBI director James Comey. “Our investigation revealed that what should be an expression of international sportsmanship was used as a vehicle in a broader scheme to line executives’ pockets.” – US Attorney-General Loretta Lynch, on the charges. “When I went to bed last night I thought it might be quite a boring congress. Now I think it might be quite lively.” – English FA chairman Greg Dyke. “He is not dancing in his office. He’s calm, he’s fully cooperative. He’s not saying it’s cool…

AUSTRALIA’S LATEST WORLDBEATERS Last season, Australia had a pair of representatives on the NBA champions team. This year, we have had one on either side of the NBA Finals, with Andrew Bogut anchoring the Golden State Warriors (right) and Matthew Dellavedova scrapping for the Cleveland Cavaliers (below). Bogut, who began his NBA career in Milwaukee after being selected as the top pick in the 2005 draft, proved to be the last essential piece that Golden State had been seeking when they acquired him via trade three seasons ago. The fast-paced, sharp-shooting Warriors relied on the Melburnian for his interior defence, rebounding and overall big-man savvy. Defying the injury bug that has long plagued him, Bogut was part of an outfit that won a league-leading 67 games during the regular season…