Watching coverage of the Ryder Cup has been a mixture of thrills and disgust. Thrills at the great competition but disgust at the way in which some of the spectators, supposedly golf fans, have behaved.
Golf is a sport in which sportsmanship is a cornerstone and good behaviour is taken for granted. However, during this competition, the highly partisan European crowd were often heard booing the American opposition and cheering when things didn't go their way. Of course, the home crowd wanted to support their team and wanted to make their support known but, to me, their behaviour was out of order. Additionally, the manner in which some reacted at the end appalled me; it was as if a coach load of drunken yobs, or football supporters, had descended on the course. Morons throwing themselves at the camera, sticking their own cameras in the faces of the Europe captain, Thomas Bjorn, while he was being interviewed, and generally behaving like a bunch of puerile louts.
No doubt many would disagree with me and say that the behaviour of the 'fans' added to the excitement of the occasion and showed how much they'd enjoyed the event. To me it showed only how sick our society has become, how devoid of decency and respect it now is; everything has been infected with the loutish attitudes of football.
A great competition has been sadly tarnished.
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