Sport returning to TV

Last night I watched the US PGA event at Colonial and Sevilla v Real Betis both behind closed doors.

Golf does not need spectators though Harold Varner III, who had earlier kneeled in the Blacks Matter protest (he is one of the few black players on the tour), would have expected come crowd reaction when he birdied the 18th to be joint leader with Justin Rose on -7.

In fact the absence of large temporary grandstands made for a better view.

I enjoyed it all except for the gap between American broadcasters which SKY filled with interviews with Kevin Pietersen, Damon Hill and a comedian from their respective homes.

You did feel the absence of a crowd at the Seville derby.

They had mocked up the seats to give the impression of a crowd, reinforced by recorded crowd noise, but this was out of sync with the action.

It provided an interesting dimension on the the Great Rust Debate as watching on TV you still need the atmosphere and as it was a dull 0-0 draw at the time of my going to bed (9-30pm) I gave up on it.

[Editor’s note: the match ended as a 2-0 win for Sevilla.]