The Sun

We Loved You Really, Ronaldo

Mark Simpson on the end of the British love-hate affair with the pretty Portuguese footballer (collected in Metrosexy) Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best footballers ever to play in this country – and one of the best looking – brought out the worst in the English. He prickled you see, our ugly, mean-minded, spiteful, spitting jealousy. We were jealous of his talent, his looks, his body, his youth, his money and most of all of his total lack of interest in what the English media… Read More »We Loved You Really, Ronaldo

Why The Sun Can’t Leave Ronaldo’s Legs Alone

Britain’s best-selling newspaper The Sun has been working itself into a confused lather about our metrosexual footballers, again. Like me, it just can’t leave them alone. In a long, hand-wringing – and graphically illustrated – article spread over the centre pages last Friday headlined ‘Preen Team’ they ask ‘What the hell is going on with our footballers?’ Led by the Premier League’s arch-metrosexual Cristiano Ronaldo, football has this summer gone camper than a row of tents. This week Ronaldo continued his holiday tour by hanging… Read More »Why The Sun Can’t Leave Ronaldo’s Legs Alone

I Wanna Hold Your Hand: Touchy-Feely Footballers

By Mark Simpson (Guardian CIF, 30/11/07) In an age of broadband hardcore, it’s rather sweet to discover that men are still so easily aroused. At least, that is, football fans and tabloid journalists. A little innocent hand-holding by Liverpool FC during a team-building training session before their crucial Champions League match with Porto worked the Sun into a frenzy this week. ‘Koppin’ Off’ screamed The Sun headline, next to a picture of Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard chastely holding hands, with the subtitle ‘So this… Read More »I Wanna Hold Your Hand: Touchy-Feely Footballers

The Sun newspaper – how gay is it?

Why is Britain’s best-selling, sauciest tabloid so unsure of its sexuality? by Mark Simpson, the Guardian (August 24, 2007) The Sun’s TV critic Ally Ross is an unhappy camper. You see, he’s always bitching about TV being ‘too gay’. Which is a rather peculiar thing for a TV critic to complain about. Perhaps his dad wanted him to be a (much less well paid) sports writer. Last Friday, he proved what a pugilist he is by laying into the recently launched ITV Anthony Cotton daytime… Read More »The Sun newspaper – how gay is it?

I (Still) Want Your Sex: The Sun & George Michael’s Privates

In case you thought I was joking when I wrote about the gentlemen of the British press being unable to leave George Michael’s penis alone, today’s Sun newspaper, twisted sister tabloid to the News of the World scandal sheet that ran the original front page Hampstead Heath expose, provides further, lurid proof of the seriousness of their passionate fascination. In a torrid piece snappily titled ‘Are there no depths George won’t plumb in pursuit of lust?’ by Kelvin MacKenzie, a former editor of the best-selling paper, and… Read More »I (Still) Want Your Sex: The Sun & George Michael’s Privates