Big sporting events have become part of everyday life. Enlarged stadiums and increased media coverage has resulted in even non sporting people knowing key players across many sports.

With increased exposure key personalities have been scrutinised in depth. Their sporting performance has been analysed together with their personal lives away from the sporting arena. Many sports stars have their family situations and personal wealth available on social media outlets. For some the camera never seems to be far away from them morning, noon and night. Such media intrusion puts pressure on individuals. They know that any misstep will make the pages of the newspapers and television coverage. It is in this intense media bubble that top sports stars must live.

Some like the pole vaulter Mondo Duplatis cope with ease. He regularly breaks the world record and enjoys a warm relationship with his adoring fans.

Unfortunately there is another side to how players react to success and failure. I belong to the old school where any personal sporting achievement was greeted with the odd slap on the back and a casual “well done”. How things have changed.

Premier league footballers often go completely mad when they score a goal. Groundsmen must be in despair as they rip up the turf in a long stud slide to the corner flag. This is sometimes followed by the scorer ripping off his shirt even though he knows this will earn him a booking. The whole team then feel it necessary to pile on top of each other. When a free kick is awarded, the usual response is a wild gesture letting the referee know he must have got his decision wrong. The player who has been tackled is frequently seen rolling over several times looking at death’s door. Once awarded the free kick he is up and running at the speed of the winner of the Grand National.

There are some sports where the rules of the contests are more formal and generally followed by competitors. Snooker is all about handshakes and congratulations if an opponent scores the magic 147 break.

Golf has very precise rules and etiquette. Any cheating is regarded as a very serious offence. You are expected to let your opponent strike their shot in silence with you at a respectable distance so as not to cause any distraction. How very distressing then to see the loutish behaviour at the recent Ryder Cup. Baying crowds shouting personal abuse at European players was sad to see. The course announcer had to be replaced for bad language. Sadly the American golfers wilted under the intense pressure from their own supporters and could do little to calm the atmosphere. This was a poor reflection on a game that prides itself on its ethical standing.

When playing any sport nothing maters more in the game than to win by fair means. The moment the game ends nothing matters less.

Youngster will copy sports stars. Let’s hope they can be “good sports”.