It is the sanctimonious way most politicians talk to people in football that really grates.
Here is Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, telling us of his warning to the Premier League.
“I have said to the Premier League it wouldn’t send the best signal if they were one of the first major sports to resume behind closed doors and the public at large couldn’t have access to it,” he said.
This is the same Oliver Dowden who has been defending the Government’s permission for the Cheltenham Festival to go ahead.
I attended the opening day and enjoyed it, as usual, but it is now clear to everyone that the event – along with Liverpool’s match against Atletico Madrid, Crufts and a couple of Stereophonics gigs – should not have gone ahead.
So maybe we do not take everything Dowden says too seriously. But in this instance, no matter how condescending his delivery, he has a point.
Yes, we all trot out the mantra that football is relatively unimportant in these awful times. Rightly so.
There can, though, be no underestimating the significance of the moment football returns.
Those of us who baulk at the thought of football in some bio-secure bubble will just have to get used to it.
With mass gatherings likely to be banned until well into next year, the sport at the top level believes it has no option.
It might be a different story down the pyramid but the Premier League will be back without crowds.
And one of the main drivers for its return will be the fulfilment of its broadcasting contracts, both domestically and internationally.
Which makes it deeply ironic that the Premier League is being asked to show matches for free.
But presumably, it will not be the Premier League’s decision.
The contracts with Sky and BT will be watertight, the broadcasting of live matches is in their hands, unless the Premier League wanted to break a multi-billion pound deal. Unlikely.
They are desperate to get back to fulfil the deal.
In light of wiped-out advertising revenue, subscription cancellations and the future hit they are going to take in the inevitable recession, the broadcasters are unlikely to be overly keen on giving much away.
Understandable, but in the rights to broadcast Premier League games, they will have a gift that will at least give the nation a semblance of a lift.
Again, I am no big fan of quarantined football but it is unarguable the first Premier League game back will be a landmark match.
Getting it out there for all to see would be a powerful move.
And the value of the goodwill if some matches are made free-to-air would mean something to these commercial giants.
Last year’s Champions League final was made available to watch for free by BT, and Sky did the same for cricket’s World Cup final.
Sky’s chief executive Stephen van Rooyen said the company wanted to celebrate a ‘once-in-a-generation’ moment. Sadly, we are all in a once-in-a-generation situation.
And anything – even a relatively unimportant football match shown to the entire nation – to lift the spirit would help.
