The Blizzard

“What you see is 90 minutes of action treated almost as a distraction from the real business of sport: the narrative of news… Reality is not enough, so it is expanded, meaning is extrapolated, significance is assumed. And all of it around a structure to ensure maximum exposure, maximum interest.” In Episode Fourteen we bring you ‘Is Football Still Sport? by Rory Smith. Channelling the ‘structured reality’ of ITV’s documentary soap-opera The Only Way Is Essex, and the ‘sports entertainment’ of WWE wrestling, Rory asks, seeing as it unfolds like a soap opera for the entertainment of millions and the profit of a few, what has football in the age of Sky and Super Sunday become? If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk, or find us on Twitter @blzzrd. Rory Smith writes about football for The Times, as long as someone with a foreign-sounding name is in the news. He has previously worked at all three Mirror titles, both of the Telegraphs and, briefly, a pair of Independents. He ghosted Rafael Benitez's first memoir, Champions League Dreams, and moved some commas around on The Numbers Game. He was once nearly on Blockbusters. Twitter: @RorySmithTimes. Issue Two, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as a 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.