Why do ALL our sports stars suddenly feel the need to adorn themselves with tattoos? - 7M sport

Why do ALL our sports stars suddenly feel the need to adorn themselves with tattoos?



I have a say

Posted Wednesday, November 24, 2010 by Dailymail

For some years now it has been a trend for young women to ­tattoo their bodies (although quite how they will feel about this fad when they are in their 50s or 60s remains to be seen).

We live in an age when celebrities such as Cheryl Cole and Peaches ­Geldof have extensive permanent designs sprawling across their bodies.

When images such as these form the backdrop to our nation’s life, ­perhaps we should be ­saddened — but not ­surprised — so many eminent sporting stars are following suit.

Why do ALL our sports stars suddenly feel the need to adorn themselves with tattoos?

Last week at Twickenham, the ­England rugby player Matt Banahan ­displayed the extensive and gaudy tattoos which run from his neck right down to his wrists in the style of Beckham, although at least ­Banahan has a patriotic excuse for his tattoo and is not covered with women or animals.

Growing up in Jersey, Banahan heard much about the grim wartime years when the Channel Islands were occupied by the Nazis. The ­tattoo on his chest is of a Spitfire, one of the famous fighter planes of World War II.

Even so, a rugby player covered in tattoos is too much a reminder of the ‘footballisation’ of all other sports, which have ­deliberately ­chosen to emulate a game run by crooks and gangsters and played by cheats and rapists.

Why should the prevailing ethos of football be admired by anyone who plays or loves games which still retain some tincture of sportsmanship or human decency?

Part of the explanation is that all these other sports are now professional, which means their stars are now more high-profile than ever and so perhaps see themselves as ­celebrities in their own right.

                                                                                                    England rugby player Matt Banahan has a Spitfire on his chest in tribute to his grandfather,
who flew Lancaster bombers during the war.
He also has several other designs

If a tattoo is good enough for Cheryl Cole, they must think, it’s good enough for me.

Mind you, we may yet be able to see the funny side.

In England this ­summer, Mitchell Johnson, yes he of the big cat, had to cry off the one-day series of matches because of an elbow infection... thought to have been caused by his tattooing.

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