After Rio

By Shane Thomas

Given the panoply of portentous prognostications leading into Rio 2016, received wisdom ultimately deemed this summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games as a success: The sport was thrilling; the events passed without much disruption; athletes weren't ridden by the Zika virus; and Brazil doesn't appear to be a real-life rendering of The Walking Dead. What were we all so worried about?

And if your took your cue from the bulk of the established press, it would be understandable for you to have reached the same conclusion. Despite the anxiety, the displacement, and the protests, it was quite clear after the first few days of competition that even if it was an unwise choice for the Games to be in Rio, they were here now, so we may as well try to enjoy it.

But our concerns should never really have been about what happened during the Games. It should be about what's going to happen now that they are over...

Read the rest of the piece at Media Diversified.

The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Usain Bolt: The Greatest Showman on Earth

By Shane Thomas

If the Olympics is the greatest show on Earth, then its greatest showman is Usain Bolt. Sprinting's irresistible force and its immovable object, and arguably the most famous athlete on a global scale since Muhammad Ali, Bolt delighted the watching world by winning an unprecedented third Olympic 100 metre title in a row.

The FA Cup - Football's American Dream

By Shane Thomas

As the 3rd round of the FA Cup draws to a close, my thoughts have turned to the almost edacious manner of its promotion, especially by the BBC - who regained the broadcast rights from ITV.

The phrase "the magic of the cup" has become a cliche so worn, it represents a pair of jeans that have been in the washing machine so often, that the area around the crotch begins to thin.

Not A Looker? So What. Bravo Marion!

By Shane Thomas

The women's game in tennis can struggle to get a substantive amount of attention. Having to deal with the lack of great rivalries compared to the women's game in the past, the incomparable brilliance currently seen in the men's game (especially when Britain has its first male champion for 77 years), as well as the pervasive sexism that still exists in society, it looked as if this year's Wimbledon women's final may end up an eminently forgettable affair.

Olympic Stars #8 - Victoria Pendleton

By Shane Thomas

Britain have three gilded queens who are going to the Olympics. Jessica Ennis on the track, Rebecca Adlington in the pool, and Victoria Pendleton in the Velodrome. But unlike Ennis and Adlington, Pendleton brings a magnitude of emotional baggage to go with her crown.

A superb recent BBC documentary exposed what was common knowledge to many sporting observers. Pendleton is one of the most compelling and fascinating athletes of her era - in any sport.

Olympics Stars #6 - Laura Trott

By Shane Thomas

In the lead-up to London 2012, it's oft forgotten that the Olympic Games are a sporting event that tends to be a launching pad for the next generation of sporting superstars. Unlike the World Cup, Wimbledon or the Superbowl, the Olympics lends to an explosion of stardust for previously unknown names, rather than underscore the skills of the marquee athletes whom we already know. It's what the Spanish call llegada.

Olympics Stars #4 - Rebecca Adlington

By Shane Thomas


Rebecca Adlington arrives at the Olympics as one of Britain's marquee names. But it's easily forgotten how rapidly her star ascended during the Beijing Games four years ago.

She went to China as little more than an up-and-coming 19 year old, one of those talented kids who's only going to the Olympics for the experience, and on a good day, could maybe, just maybe, nick a medal.

That optimistic forecast came to pass, but it wasn't a bronze Adlington went home with, but two golds.