when I was young my main sporting passions were football(aka soccer) and motorsports

I played soccer as a boy and dreamed of being a professional

I never made the grade but played with local amateur teams up to the age of 18

it was relatively inexpensive to watch my team Liverpool play back then

I went to many games and enjoyed the thrills of seeing it live

the stadium was always packed with over 40,000 fans

mostly young boys and working class men

I also attended many motorsports events which were all inexpensive to watch

in my early twenties I built a racing Mini Cooper

spending two seasons competing in national championships

I soon learned that I would never make it as a professional racing driver

I gave up racing to focus more on my career

it was fun though to attend Formula One events and see the pros in action

as the years passed I drifted to watching football and motorsports on TV

although the coverage is excellent its not the same as actually being there

I recently thought about taking a trip to England to see a Liverpool game

the only tickets available for the game were over $400

that’s about 200 times more than I used to pay for a ticket

I was planning to see the Formula One race in Miami this year

Until I discovered that the cheapest available ticket was $1200

that’s more than I spent in a whole season of racing my Mini Cooper back in the 80’s

So sad that these sports have become so corporate

Formula One used to be the ultimate thrill for motorists enthusiasts

Its now the place to be seen for the ultra rich and famous

I bet most of them know nothing about motorsport

they just want to hang out in the VIP hospitality section and hope to be photographed 

I feel blessed to have grown up in an era when sporting events were accessible to everybody