Yesterday saw the Trial of the Century beginning at Warrington Magistrates Court, where former Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton is appearing upon absurd charges of making a black woman sad on the internet. I have written about these (non-)events on the Daily Sceptic previously, but shall refrain from commenting upon the specifics of the case again here until proceedings are safely over.
In the meantime, I’d prefer to examine how Mr. Barton has been represented in the British media down the years. Initially, due to his numerous violent on- and off-field escapades, he was presented as an oafish Neanderthal thug. But then, as Joey approached footballing retirement age, all of a sudden he began popping up in the broadsheet op-ed pages, pontificating with unexpected authority on matters of actual public import. It turned out Barton had started a philosophy degree as a launchpad to try and forge a new post-game career as a member of the political commentariat, a bit like Albert Camus (who had begun life as a semi-professional goalkeeper).
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