Simply Super

The current NFL season (that’s American football to the uninitiated) culminates this weekend, with Superbowl XLIII. And what a season it has been - full of great games and plenty of upsets. There can’t be anyone on the planet who would have believed when it started back in September that the Arizona Cardinals would make it all the way to the showpiece event – indeed, despite winning their division, few pundits thought they’d even make it through the first week of the playoffs. This unpredictability is what makes the NFL so great – and provides such a refreshing change from the monotony of Premiership football, where the same teams continue to dominate year after year. Let’s hope Sunday’s game provides a fitting finale to a wonderful season – and my fear that the Cardinals could get blown away by the Pittsburgh Steelers proves unfounded.

He’s got the Power

Last weekend Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor became world darts champion for the 14th – yes 14th - time. Forget about the argument that darts isn’t really a sport – which I expect is only made by people who haven’t actually played it (or those who do play, but can’t manage to score more than 26). Frankly, I don’t care if you’re talking about tiddlywinks or knitting – to be the best in the world at anything on 14 occasions is simply extraordinary. Taylor’s record at the world championships is phenomenal – he’s lost only four matches at the PDC event since its inception in 1994, failing to reach the final just once. In fact, forget about calling him the greatest sports person in the country – I hereby declare Taylor to be the greatest living Briton.