Inspiration To Footballers

As I sit here, watching Emmerdale, I realise just how much I'm missing the Olympics. 

I've always been a massive football fan, but struggle to be passionate towards other sports. I like to get the sticks out on the golf course every now and then and I've nearly collapsed running around a squash court once or twice, but I've never been a fan of watching any sport other than football. 

So when the Olympics began, I'd not prepared myself and mentally built myself for what I was about to witness. 

'Proud to be British' is not something we've had many opportunities to say over the past year or so, as we have seen riots tear through the capital and other cities, and terrible crimes taking up the front pages. 

But this olympics has made me proud from deep inside my heart. I wish I had the opportunity to attend this magical event, I didn't even try for tickets so its my fault, but I witnessed a lot of it on tv. The rowing stood out for me. I haven't shouted 'GO ON, GO ON, Yesssss!' so madly since the days when Sasa Curcic would go on a mazy run at Selhurst Park. I am quite en emotional person, it doesn't take much to set me off, and I will openly admit I cried tears of joy on many occasions during this Olympics. 

Every medal had a magical story behind it. Every medal winner has trained solidly for many years to win. But what melted mine and the nations hearts is how professional, level headed and grateful these athletes came across. At a time when our footballers are racially abusing each other on the pitch, sniping on twitter and behaving like absolute idiots, the athletes performances and personalities have been a breath of fresh air. I remember a track event ran by women, when the race had finished, all competing athletes congratulated the winning athlete. Fantastic to see. I can't find enough words to sum up how fantastic the athletes are as sports men and women, and the people they are. True champions. 

Now we go back to our first love of football, and get ready to see the likes of Balotelli, Terry, Ferdinand, Suarez, Barton etc. 

Many feel the attitude and failure of the modern day footballer is the money they earn. Maybe.  I just hope these morons have watched the Olympics like me, seen the way a true sports champion conducts themselves, and well, we can only hope it melted their heart like it did mine. 

I suppose one of the good things of being a Crystal Palace fan is that we do not have the top footballers. What we have is honest hard working pro's who are striving to succeed. The likes of Dean Moxey, Paddy McCarthy etc are true sportsmen. They are 10 times better people than the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Barton, Terry etc. 

I'm hoping our true hero athletes have inspired our football players present and future, and shown them what it takes, to be a top sports person on and off the field. 

One can only dream I suppose!