A big thank you to BT Sport and Sky Sports for nothing

Dropping viewing figures for the self-proclaimed heavyweights of BT Sport and Sky Sports, will have you believe that it’s a cost ‘thing’ with prices rising in life, despite the fact companies now offer full-time jobs as ‘unpaid internships’. 

You might have even thought that it’s maybe because we are a generation who doesn’t leave the house, as we stream the early game on Saturday right through to whatever dross Monday Night Football is serving up.

Paul Pogba has endured a forgettable start to life at Manchester United, and last night's draw at Liverpool confirmed it. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/rEreNjWj3u

— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 18, 2016

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None of us have considered, though, that dwindling figures might actually be because the all round interest in football is on the decline.

Sky Sports have seen their football viewership drop by 19%, but that’s not because BT Sport has grown by the same amount.

Both platforms are struggling to master their football coverage, and yet they aren’t listening. Instead, the duo are trying to, not even better one another, but just make the other seem inadequate and second-rate – I’ll stop short of saying underhand tactics, but you get the idea.

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There’s a film, ‘The Prestige’, that came out in 2006 – superb cast, with the likes of Michael Cane, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale to name just three.

To give you a quick synopsis, Bale and Jackman are magicians, who work together, fall out – you know, usual cliche stuff – and then they spend the film trying to outdo one another, culminating in Jackman being driven in trying to find the secret to Bale’s show-stopping trick.

Don’t worry no spoilers, but Bale’s ‘secret’ actually isn’t that much of a secret, with Jackman’s, unnecessary over-the-top desire to find out how Bale does it, resembling something similar to a full strength Real Madrid XI turning up against a Sunday League team – just no need.

The two magicians’ focus is always on one another and making a fool of their rival, with no focus on their own happiness and those around them.

Long story short, they all lose out, through a classic case of male ignorance and ego.

Yeah, even David Bowie stars in it; so randomly cool.

They’re both dropping the ball in terms of packages they offer, coverage they give, insight and interest they can deliver.

It’s not hard, really. But whilst they continue to ‘trip each other up in the hallway’ rather than focusing on getting themselves to ‘class on time’, they’re going to both be ‘late’.

The market is saturated, but it’s all their own doing, and the first one to not resort to the pettiness, will win…

“It is a premature comparison when several high-profile matches such as Liverpool v Manchester United have yet to air on Sky Sports.

“We have shown the top ten most-viewed Premier League games so far this season.”

That day won’t come, though, and the modern day football fan will grow more and more delusional with everything the beautiful  morally devoid game offers.

You know what? It almost feels refreshing to be ‘free’ from it.