Commentary

The start of the Premier League season should start with an asterisk

There’s a cost to coherence and continuity by keeping the transfer window open once the season starts

Football journalism needs defending – it won’t surrender

The term ‘match report’ is misleading, and serves no purpose in describing what football journalism does

Like folding sheets, tennis is a more exciting watch if one person does it

A DJ booth, new rules and a million-dollar prize at the US Open, but it was still just the mixed doubles

Do we want sport or a game show?

Trend toward prioritising ‘entertainment’ isn’t just rule tampering, but a fundamental change in the nature of sport

With nothing left to prove, Rory McIlroy is entitled to decide when to let go

After such a public struggle, blessed is the star who can say mission accomplished

Talented, fearless, honest: the real Ben Stokes offers a lesson in character

But how many more of his kind are we missing because of a biased system?

To dial out of Oleksandr Usyk’s story would simply be a failure of empathy

Rejecting boxing is a rational choice, but don’t ignore the Ukrainian’s deeds

Lionesses win on ‘foreign soil’ is a landmark on path from insularity

Victory for ‘proper England’ perhaps, but long-term success requires more

Football’s new era: a slow decay from sport to content

The Club World Cup final ends what’s become a perfect example of the game’s end-of-empire phase

Abuse is the high price of visibility in women’s sport

Too many female athletes are forced to armour themselves daily against attacks – the solution is to financially empower them

Sue Smith: Bounceback win proved we do have leaders in this team

Mentality was right against Netherlands and that will hold them in good stead for rest of Euros

Now for the big decisions that coach Andy Farrell has to get right

Centre, wing and back row are the key combinations where Lions must click if they’re to beat Aussies

In cricket we must distinguish between what counts and what does not

Opinion: South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder made the right decision not to break Brian Lara’s record

Yes, I was right/wrong* all along about great/vapid Club World Cup

*Please delete as appropriate depending whether my team Chelsea win the final