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By Pete Usher Old Etonians versus Blackburn Rovers. The game's not what it used to be. Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons. In previous articles, I’ve spoken about relocations and mergers, which suggested the different places existing sports teams could have ended up. But in those scenarios, the team still exists (or at least a  team still exists). It is much harder to kill a whole team, especially in the professional leagues.   Or is it? But killing a football club is much ha

By Pete Usher. The Royal Barge Gloriana moored at the London Olympic Park in 2012. Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons. And so we come to finalé of this series. It’s been an enthralling ride, and previous articles in the series can be found here: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7 .     2012: London 204+2* nations; 10,518 athletes; 26 sports; 302 events. Failed bids: Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig, Madrid, Moscow, New York City, Paris, Rio de Janeiro.   *Independent Olympic Athletes (IO

By Pete Usher Promoting peace and harmony and with a complete absence of politics, right? Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons. People could see in me who I am now, an Olympic champ, the best in the world. Kathy Freeman   2000: Sydney 199 nations; 10,647 athletes; 28 sports; 300 events. Failed bids: Beijing, Berlin, Brasilia, Istanbul, Manchester, Milan, Tashkent.   The bidding for the 2000 Summer Olympic Games was completed in 1993, just three years after the unexpected awardi

By Pete Usher   Sport is always full of “nearly” stories, normally at the business end of a competition. Just recently, Scotland nearly beat France at rugby in the Six Nations tournament, after a try with the last move of the game was controversially ruled out, depriving the Scots of a victory. Every football fan will have multiple tales of their side hitting the frame rather than scoring, losing the game as a consequence. It is part and parcel of the sporting landscape. Marc

By Pete Usher. Ben Johnson. From national hero to national disgrace with one drug test. Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Why, Ben? Why? Canadian newspaper headline, 1988.     1988: Seoul. 159 nations; 8453 athletes; 23 sports; 237 events. Failed bids: Nagoya.   After a series of events which included terrorism, financial failure, and two massive boycotts, the Olympic movement was in desperate need of a non-controversial and inclusive Games. In a potentially surprising choi

By Pete Usher A lengthy gestation period was involved at Montréal. Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons. “The Olympics can no more have a deficit than a man can have a baby.” Montréal mayor Jean Drapeau (translated). 1976: Montréal. 92 nations; 6073 athletes; 21 sports; 198 events. Failed bids: Los Angeles, Moscow. After the tragic events of Munich, Montréal represented a chance to return to the Olympic ideal. However, the events of September 1972 still hung over the Games – th

By Pete Usher. Boston National League baseball team, 1900. The oldest league in the world. Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons. League competitions are found in many sports across the world, and many have long and storied histories. But, especially in the professional game, there is also a long history of rival organisations being set up, with varying degrees of success, right from the start of professional leagues. So, we will start with the oldest league in the world, the Ba

By Pete Usher 1968. Two gloved fists, three careers wrecked. Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Continuing the series of how politics and sport have, in fact, mixed at the modern Olympic Games. Parts 1 to 3 can be found Here , Here , and Here . If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight. Tommie Smith. 1968: Mexico C

By Pete Usher. Continuing the series of how politics and sport have, in fact, mixed at the modern Olympic Games. Parts 1 and 2 can be found Here and Here . Cassius Clay (who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali) winning boxing gold at the 1960 Olympics. Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame at the 1996 Olympics. Picture courtesy IOC. And, in the later stages of Parkinson's disease, carrying the Olympic flag at the 2012 Olympics. Pictur

By Pete Usher MK Dons; they seem to be missing a goalkeeper. Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Following on from Pete's article on...

By Pete Usher Final sword match (foil) at the 1896 Olympics. Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Sports and politics don’t mix. Eric Heiden, US Olympic Speedskater Although Eric Heiden is most commonly credited with the sentiment that sport and politics don’t mix, it is a common cry whenever any political matter (or perceived political matter) has even the most marginal interaction with sporting events. In the last few years, sports response to Black Lives Matter, sportswash

By Pete Usher The smallest trophy in world team sports. Michael Vaughan holding The Ashes after victory in 2005. Picture courtesy ESPN. August 7th 2005 was the 70th anniversary of the invention of the metallic drinks can and the conclusion of the greatest test match of all time. Warwickshire CCC website. Of all sports, it is possible that Test cricket offers more potential for points of divergence than any other single sporting event. A full five-day test could have 2700 indi

By Pete Usher Possibly the most famous of them all. The Munich air disaster. Picture courtesy Sky News. The first part of this article series, on sport in AH, can be found Here . ***** “And that spells disaster for Scotland” – Archie McPherson (probably) Sporting commentary has a tendency to the hyperbolic, with the results, and individual events within contests, being described as triumphs, disasters, and so on. But the reality is that, in a world filled with international c

By Pete Usher. Gordon Banks making the iconic, impossible save from Pele in the 1970 World Cup. “ If that had gone in, it would have been a goal. ” David Coleman. The role of sport in Alternate History is much smaller than one might expect, given the near ubiquitous nature of sport in modern society – it fills regular portions of our daily news, pages of mainstream newspapers, and individual competitions and events are multi-billion pound concerns. And yet, even in the most w

No, not that sort of panel beating. Image courtesy Wikimedia commons. In this article, I’ll be posing a few questions for some regulars...

By Pete Usher On the Sea Lion Press Forums, we run a monthly Vignette Challenge. Contributors are invited to write short stories on a...