Inside Track: Some things we could do without in the sporting arena

It may have gone unnoticed to many amid all the deep-throated bellowing from the home crowd at the Ryder Cup, a practice that Inside Track finds downright silly, if at times amusing.

In fairness to the Americans – and we’re just wondering if they deserve anything like that – what we’re talking about here goes on at every tournament, not only those on the other side of the Atlantic.

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A golfer hits a wayward shot off the tee. The ball lands among spectators, who quickly form a circle around the Dunlop, or whatever brand the golfer has put his faith in.

And they remain until the player arrives, peering down at the ball. What are they expecting to happen – the ball to mysteriously start moving to a more advantageous berth?

(They say that when Trump puts in a drive like that he has a number of options for his second shot. The one he’s certain to take has the ball out on the fairway.)

As might be detected from this, Inside Track is togged out in his best curmudgeon garb this week, about to list some other practices that get up his nose.

There’s a World boxing title-fight coming up. The fighters come together to promote the contest, first of all, having the weigh-in. They then go face-to-face, their noses almost touching.

They’re staring at each other, and you half expect one of them to throw a head-butt, or maybe burst out laughing.

Why can they not just be like those fearsome-looking fighters who appear in the Haribo ad on telly? The promoter gives them a sweet, and they start giggling.

We’re on to racing now, and those jockeys’ flying dismounts in the winners’ enclosure. Perhaps we should have put the apostrophe inside the word jockey, because there’s really only one practitioner of this piece of (dangerous) flamboyancy.

Frankie Dettori, for year’s British champion rider, is presently peddling his wares in America.

We don’t know if he’s bringing a smile to some faces around the winners’ circle, as he did in England, and on his rare visits to Ireland, or, perhaps, lying up after damaging an ankle from one of his unconventional dismounts.

Still on racing. We’ve never been really happy with Irish jockeys throwing a Tricolour over their shoulders after riding a winner at Cheltenham, in particular. It’s good that it has stopped.

We often thought what the reaction might be at Leopardstown, Fairyhouse, The Curragh, or any other Irish course, if, after riding an English-trained winner, the jockey is thrown a Union Jack to wave on entering the enclosure.

Okay, when Ascot stages the English Champions meeting, the place is festooned with Union Jacks. But there’s nothing that prevent Leopardstown or The Curragh from doing the same at the Irish equivalent.

The use – many would say abuse – of the Tricolour has featured regularly in the news recently. Not mentioned for criticism, however, is flying the flag at sporting events. Nor should it be.

Kate O’Connor was only too happy to show those who might not know that Ireland is her country by embracing the Tricolour after her magnificent performance at the World Championships.

Shane Lowry had one of show after the Ryder Cup, and while this was a European team event, his colleagues were only too proud to show off their country’s colours.

As for Inside Track: The green, white and gold was on display in Bellurgan Point every time Eve McCrystal went in pursuit of Olympic and World success. That was often, and she didn’t let us down.

The curmudgeon is not finished yet. We’re on to tennis now, and in particular the doubles.

Why, oh why do the partners have to fist-bump each other after putting in a winning shot, often coming from opposite sides of the court to do so. Give each other a hug or a handshake when the game is over, and leave it at that.

Talk about hugging. Is it really necessary for soccer players to pile in on top of each other when there’s a goal? It wouldn’t happen if they were playing Gaelic football or hurling.

In those games, the re-start comes immediately after the score, whereas in soccer, it can’t happen until the huggers get back into their side of the field. Any chance of FIFA taking a leaf out of the GAA rule book?