The Paralympics Isn't Great Sport With Caveats. It's Great Sport

By Shane Thomas

In the days after the Closing Ceremony of the Rio Olympics, the media narrative centred around the Brazilian party being over, with the nation now having to deal with the residue of the Olympic circus.

What Makes Mo Farah So Good?

By Shane Thomas

For as long as I can remember, I've always loved athletics[1]. With the exception of football, it was probably the sport that first grabbed my attention, with the catalyst being Linford Christie crossing the line first in the 1992 Olympics.

Allyson Felix demonstrates that elite sport has virtues beyond trophies

By Shane Thomas

Many athletes have graced the Rio Olympics, but none have done so with as much grace as Allyson Felix. Looking for a fourth Olympic title last night, Felix finished second in the 400 metres, denied gold by Shaunae Miller's best Indiana Jones impersonation on the line.

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.

Will Michael Phelps Be Able To Say Goodbye

By Shane Thomas

Back in 2003, I remember sitting in the cinema to watch the final film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I remember watching the climax to one of Western cinema's landmark achievements. I remember my chest swelling as I was about to exhale a fulfilled sigh as the film ended.

And then I remember the film not ending.

The Inevitability of Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky

By Shane Thomas

There are times when an athlete feels less like an athlete and more like a fixed point in existence - think of visiting the Great Wall of China, or the Grand Canyon. After a while, they stop being extraordinary. They just feel inevitable.

The Rio Olympics 2016: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

By Shane Thomas

There are a number of things in this world that I have little direct interest in: cookery programmes; the fashion industry; or TV shows from Shonda Rhimes. But that doesn't stop me appreciating their wider social impact. It's not difficult to comprehend the significance of Nadiya Hussain, Jourdan Dunn, or Shonda Rhimes's influence on Western popular culture.

It's with this in mind that Media Diversified begins its series of articles on the upcoming Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Rio. I confess on the rare occasions I penned a missive about sport on this site, it brought with it a degree of worry that the reader would go little further than the opening paragraph, before dismissing the piece out of hand.

I'm not ignorant of the way that in a space normally reserved for social, cultural, and political commentary, sport is largely viewed as an incongruous and unwelcome interloper, and while that's not an entirely fair response, there are reasons that make such a reaction understandable...

Read the whole piece on 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