It's been a difficult 15 months on planet earth and it's been a difficult 15 months in the world of sport. With terraces empty, it's easy to forget what makes sport so special.
Last night, by pure coincidence, there were so many reminders that sport is the greatest thing in the world. Geniuses as different as Andrea Bocelli and Bill Murray were serenading supporters, and for the first time in such a long time, sport as we once knew it had returned.
A few months ago, Boris Johnson had the daft idea to declare a Freedom Day, a day for Britons to celebrate 'freedom' from covid. That date had been set for no later than 21 June, but seems to be imperiled now by the rise of the Delta variant in the UK.
No one wants to be stealing any ideas from the British prime minister, but for sports fans, yesterday felt like our Freedom Day. A day when the way we experience sport changed again. Not only did we have a tennis match for the ages and the launch of an international football tournament, we had people in the stands to witness these memorable events. This is the critical difference.
Firstly, in Ireland last night, we had the first of the pilot events that saw supporters back in the terraces at rugby and football matches. There were fans at the RDS to see Leinster beat Scarlets, and fans at League of Ireland matches like the one in Tallaght, where Shamrock Rovers drew with Finn Harps.
Euro 2020 kicked off in Rome with Andrea Bocelli singing 'Nessun Dorma' in front of 16,000 fans at the Stadio Olimpico.
Andrea Bocelli singing Nessun Dorma 🎤
The perfect way to start Euro 2020 🙌 pic.twitter.com/L0l9Wy1AhL— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 11, 2021
We'd last seen Bocelli at the height of the first wave of covid, singing 'Amazing Grace' at the Duomo in Milan. This was so much different. This was a song of celebration. And Italy did not let their tenor down, and delivered a wonderful exposition of Italian football, anchored by the ageless centre-back pairing of Bonucci and Chiellini.
In Paris, Djokovic and Nadal served up an all-time classic at Roland Garros. The match was so good that the French government decided to suspend its own curfew laws so that the people in the stands could see the conclusion of the game. Lawmakers were bending the rules for sports fans. There was absolute bedlam when the announcement was made.
Here's the moment they announced the curfew has been extended and the crowd can stay. pic.twitter.com/Xeqi0WSB54
— Maurice Brosnan (@m_brosnan) June 11, 2021
Meanwhile in Chicago yesterday afternoon, on the day Chicago Cubs were allowed to have Wrigley Field at 100% capacity, Bill Murray took to the microphone during the seventh inning stretch to lead Cubs fans in 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game'. Think about that: 100% capacity!
We've been blessed to have sport this past year, but sport without fans in the terraces is what light beer is to lager. These moments all captured the integral importance of us - the supporters - to the experience of sport. We're so delighted to be back.
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