Smash hit

Government has no place meddling with 'crown jewels'

Matthew Syed says sports governing bodies are right to protest as a review confirms the proposed expansion of free-to-air sporting events

Success and despair go hand in hand

Professional sport demands neurosis. We shouldn't be surprised a brilliant goalkeeper killed himself

Football unites, from Tanzania to Tottenham

The beautiful game has become the world’s universal language, as I experienced on this year’s Times charity appeal

Home truths of Ferguson tirade against referee

The Manchester United manager’s criticism of Andre Marriner after the deafeat to Liverpool opens up more questions

Button: from playboy to hero at breakneck speed

The crowning of the new F1 champion has shown up the pundits’ habitual carping about our sporting heroes for what it is

Exhausted Button leaves fans frustrated

The new Formula One world champion had little time for the hundreds of supporters who turned up to meet him in Kent

Rooney rules in fight against racism

Compulsory interviews for minority candidates will go a long way to confronting institutionalised prejudice in football

There is no place for golf in the Olympics

The Games should be the pinnacle, but some sports will only be there for the money

Why we prefer sequins to muddy boots

Matthew Syed says the public is ultimately to blame for the television's failure to secure the rights to the England match

When the Games are up the real enjoyment can begin

Olympic athletes will welcome the choice of Rio especially when they are knocked out of their events

Sex before sport? It’s after sport that matters

Winning an Olympic gold medal will boost your chances of scoring. Just make it in the 100 metres, not table tennis...

Mayweather strikes a blow for greatness

Comparisons to Muhammad Ali are obligatory for a boxer who has now proved that his genius is beyond dispute

Del Potro can extend golden age of tennis

The Argentinian’s US Open title may prove a pivotal moment for the sport as well as bad news for Britain’s Andy Murray

Upright behaviour the way to stop diving

Until partisanship is replaced by probity, the beautiful game will always be scarred by ugly allegations of cheating

Muhammad Ali: the unrivalled champion

His status as the greatest sportsman of all time is based on his grace in the ring and his battles against authority

Scandal of a teenage star let down by authorities

Caster Semenya should not have been subjected to such public scrutiny and intense embarrassment, says Matthew Syed

Defenders of the faith have a bloody cheek

Fake blood injury is merely the latest scandal to imply that a once great sport is in danger of losing its credibility