After the 3-0 humiliation to Sunderland I had had enough. The process of my disillusionment with professional football (which had begun when I was 14) and Newcastle United was complete. The sport is dead; what exists now is a capitalist monster which treats fans like stroppy customers. Even more disgusting is the way in which this business model is being embraced by fans across the world as a benign force to gratify their own need for televised convenience.
From henceforth, I promised, I would not step foot inside St James' Park while Mike Ashley still owned the club.So...why write about it? Well, I hope for some positive effects to my self-imposed exile from soccer. Mainly, my plan is to engage in whatever is worth noticing but generally goes unreported. I intend to write about all sports, ensuring that I avoid the tawdry clichés and ignorant dribble of the mainstream sports media.
A lot of material for the blog will be recycled from my Yorker articles. Having just become their sports editor (only until the Autumn), the opportunity exists to be more adventurous and use their excellent facilities for extra coverage of big events like the World Cup or the Roses.
Here's to the future,
Stephen Thorne
