Watching the Chelsea versus Man United match on TV, I noticed that people in the stadium and people watching it at home had lost some sense of what was going on. To show passion for your team is one thing, but to get so carried away is another. The point I am trying to make this week is this. Sport is sport. It is there to be enjoyed. I know that we keep score so that we can see who wins, but sport is based, when you first start playing or watching, on fun. We as a nation and as children of the Sky Sports generation forget sometimes that human beings occupy the jerseys we shout at week in and week out.
The week just past in Limerick sport has reminded me of that point more than ever. When talks of rifts and strikes in Limerick hurling dominated our headlines and minds, Andrew O Shaughnessy was dealing with bigger issues of his own. The Kilmallock flyer has been reportedly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). This devastating blow comes just a few weeks short of Andrew’s 25th birthday. The forwards future in hurling is unknown at this time, but it goes without saying that everyone in Limerick, sporting or not, has Andrew and his family in our thoughts.
Another story that has many people in Limerick worried is the plight of Munster and Ireland prop Marcus Horan. The update regarding Marcus Horan is that it has been confirmed that he will not be available for the Guinness Series games in November. Following further tests this week, Marcus underwent a routine cardiac medical procedure on November 6 last and will undergo a period of rest over the next number of weeks. It is expected that he will be available to Munster and Ireland after the New Year.
These two stories portray that sport is just sport. We may think that winning is everything and we are nothing without it. In fact, we are nothing without our health. Best wishes to Andrew and Marcus, we are all thinking about you, we hope to see you on the playing fields again, very soon.