LONDON, United Kingdom, Apr 23 – From Premier League stars reliving their own iconic moments to the documentary that broke records in America, the lack of sport during the coronavirus lockdown has triggered a wave of nostalgia among fans and players.

With virtually no live action anywhere in the world due to the pandemic, sports lovers have been forced to go cold turkey over the past two months.

Whether it is the Premier League being postponed, cricket tours being cancelled or US leagues going into hibernation, the sudden shutdown has been a shock to the system.

Searching for a sense of normality in troubled times, fans have turned to comforting trips down memory lane.

In England, Premier League and Championship clubs have been keeping their supporters entertained by turning back the clock.

Many teams have posted entire matches from the past on their websites and YouTube channels, along with individual players’ finest moments and interviews with old stars.

As part of their “Cityzens at Home” campaign to encourage supporters to respect lockdown rules, Manchester City organised a Twitter event, tweeting clips from their 2017 Champions League win at Napoli.

Sergio Aguero, who became City’s all-time leading scorer with his goal in the game, joined in with video commentary on the 4-2 win and fans tweeted their own descriptions of key moments as though the match were happening in real time.

Such is the desire to remember happier times that even a boy’s recreation of Paul Gascoigne’s classic FA Cup semi-final free-kick for Tottenham against Arsenal in 1991 briefly became a Twitter sensation.

Thousands of social media users saw the youngster, wearing a Spurs kit from that season, smashing his shot over two rubbish bins and into the top corner of a small goal before copying Gascoigne’s Wembley celebration.

Television companies have responded to the absence of scheduled matches by feeding the appetite for nostalgia.

– ‘Unprecedented times –

The BBC has rebranded Match of their Day as the long-running Premier League highlights programme switches to showing memorable matches selected by the show’s pundits including Alan Shearer and Ian Wright.

In July, the BBC will show the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics alongside highlights from the rest of the London Games and Rio 2016, replacing coverage of what should have been Tokyo 2020.

Filling the void left by Euro 2020, which is delayed until 2021, they will show matches from Euro 96 and classic Wimbledon contests will be screened during the July fortnight normally dominated by tennis.

“In these unprecedented and difficult times we are delighted to bring some of the most incredible sporting events from years gone by to our audiences,” the BBC’s director of sport Barbara Slater said.

Sky and BBC radio allowed cricket lovers to relive the drama of Ben Stokes’s unforgettable 135 not out in the third Test against Australia at Headingley last year.

Sky’s programme included a “watchalong” segment that saw Stokes and captain Joe Root dial in via video-link.

Even newspapers have got in on the act.

The Guardian has run a series of “as-live reboots of classic sporting events” including Jack Nicklaus’s win at the 1986 Masters and Italy’s victory over Brazil at the 1982 World Cup.

– Jordan smash hit –

In the United States, basketball fans successfully campaigned to get ESPN to move its eagerly anticipated 10-part Michael Jordan documentary series ‘The Last Dance’ from June to April.

Jordan is widely regarded as the NBA’s best-ever player and ESPN said Sunday’s first two episodes, which focused on his final title-winning season with the Chicago Bulls, were the most-watched documentary content in the company’s history, with an average of 6.1 million viewers.

Encapsulating the public’s enthusiasm for some sporting escapism, Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson tweeted: “Michael Jordan’s Last Dance was fantastic and I loved all two hours of it.

“Young fans that never got to see Michael play now understand why he’s the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) of basketball!”

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)

%thecontent%%avatar%

%author%

%authornetworks%

%authordescription%

%authornetworks%

Comments

%sidebar%","opedarticle":"","sidead1":"ff","sidead2":"","sidead3":"","homestory":"

%title%

%game%%date%Read More--","taxonomyitem":"

%title%

%game%%date%Read More------","fixtureitem":"%name1%%score1%VS%score2%%name2%%time%","home":"rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn 1rn 2rn 3rn 4rn 5rn rn rn rn

German football outlines plan for May return

rn rn Footballrn rn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn Read Articlern rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnrnrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

More Headlines

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Sports nostalgia all the rage during virus lockdownrn

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Premier League matches could return on free-to-air TVrn

rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Murray ‘would play’ French Open, if it goes aheadrn

rn rn Gamern rn rn rn 14 minutes ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Neville ‘set to leave England women’s job in 2021’rn

rn rn rn rn rn 25 minutes ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Impossible to delay Olympics again, says Tokyo chiefrn

rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn 1 hour ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Mourinho’s ambush of Pep and Barca, under a volcanic cloudrn

rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn 1 hour ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnrn rn rn

Most Popular

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

All Sports

rn trn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Sports nostalgia all the rage during virus lockdown

rn rn rn rn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Premier League matches could return on free-to-air TV

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Murray ‘would play’ French Open, if it goes ahead

rn rn rn Gamern rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Neville ‘set to leave England women’s job in 2021’

rn rn rn rn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Impossible to delay Olympics again, says Tokyo chief

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Poll Question

rn rn ntnttnttntt

WILL ARSENAL FINISH TOP FOUR IN 2019/20 EPL SEASON?

ntt
• NO
ntt
• YES
ntt

View Results

ntnn Loading ...n rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Mourinho’s ambush of Pep and Barca, under a volcanic cloud

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Watford join Premier League clubs to agree player wage deferral

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Italy sports minister urges caution over return to football

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

King, Federer, Nadal call for ATP, WTA merger

rn rn rn Gamern rn Wednesday, 22nd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Broadcasters forced to scale back – Mediapro boss Roures

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Wednesday, 22nd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Load More Storiesrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Sponsored

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Featured

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn German football outlines plan for May returnrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Premier League matches could return on free-to-air TVrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Murray ‘would play’ French Open, if it goes aheadrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Neville ‘set to leave England women’s job in 2021’rn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Impossible to delay Olympics again, says Tokyo chiefrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnttt","sidebar":"rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnrnrn rn rn rntrn rn t

Most Popular

rn rn rn rn rn trn rn rnrn rn rn rn t

Featured

rn rn trn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn German football outlines plan for May returnrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Premier League matches could return on free-to-air TVrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Murray ‘would play’ French Open, if it goes aheadrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Neville ‘set to leave England women’s job in 2021’rn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Impossible to delay Olympics again, says Tokyo chiefrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 23rd Apr 2020rn rn rn rn rn rn rn trn rn rn rn","articleerror":"

Oops...Something broke on our end

"},"messages":{"accessdenied":"Access to the account has been denied ","httperror":"Oops, something went wrong...please try again","contactgoogle":"Contacting Google","firsttime":"Seems this is your first time with this signin system. Please wait as we get your name","signinsuccess":"Cool. You're now signed in. This signin will close automatically now","pendingrequest":"Still communicating with the server","signedout":"Seems you were signed out. Try submitting again after you've been signed in","trackingerror":"Couldn't track Analytics","xhrnotconfigured":"To webmaster: Please confirm the xhr/ajax receptor is configured on the server","loadmore":"Load more stories"}}; /* ]]> */