Photo Courtesy of Tottenham Hotspur Twitter Account
The relationship between the English tabloids and press and professional football (soccer) players has always been an interesting one. At times the English tabloids have been more concerned and interested in what professional football players do in their time off the field of play as compared to on the field of play. This was once again highlighted over the weekend with the publishing of a photo of Kyle Walker legally inhaling some nitrous oxide from a balloon back in June.
Walker, a defender for Tottenham and the England national team, was out with some friends at a club back in June and happened to have been photographed inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon. Frankly, the fact that Walker had to apologize over the publishing of said photo is ridiculous and speaks to what is a big issue in how the English press go about covering their footballers at times. The fact of the matter is that inhaling nitrous oxide is legal, and so long as one does not do it regularly it poses no health or physical risks.
The focus on Walker for not doing nothing illegal, or not showing any signs that he engages in risky and dangerous behavior is absurd.
As England gets ready to play a crucial World Cup Qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday in a game which they cannot afford to lose if they wish to continue to control their own destiny with regards to qualifying, instead of the focus being on how the team will cope with not having the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck available, the focus has shifted. With the publication of a harmless photo of Kyle Walker taken back in June, it once again demonstrates how the English press finds a way to focus on the wrong aspect of football (soccer) instead of what goes on the field of play.
Lucas Carreras is a contributing Soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow Lucas on Twitter by following him @maldini3fan and you can add him to your network on Google.
