Sides taken

Sides taken frames why sports spectatorship can be inseparable from taking sides, even when the viewer prefers detachment. The piece invokes G.H. Hardy, the English mathematician who mentored A.K. Ramanujan, describing Hardy’s admiration for cricket’s grace and order. It then recalls cricket moments including David Gower’s unbeaten double hundred against India at Edgbaston in 1979 and mentions Jasprit Bumrah challenging James Anderson at Lord’s five years earlier. The author argues that the difficulty of neutrality is amplified in events like the World Cup, where unfamiliar squads shape allegiance. It also cites a World Cup league-stage example: the author backed Iran due to reported visa denials affecting support staff, player relocation to Mexico, and travel disruption for US matches, while also suggesting political pressure involving FIFA and Folarin Balogun.