Do You Still Give a Shit About Athletics?

The UK has awoken from its glassy-eyed, drugged up malaise and is feeling disconcerted and scared at having to deal with reality again. The slightest mention of the Olympics draws a forlorn shadow across the faces of the public. Now all we have left to look forward to is the "legacy" Boris Johnson and Seb Coe promised us, which, at best, will be a decade-long slow-burn of dwindling interest, and at worst will be a broken promise. So, it was all a dream and now we are awake. During the past two weeks watching a skinny person wrapped in Union Flags run around in circles on TV seemed like the best thing that had ever been invented. We were hypnotised by dancing horses and inhuman levels of exposure to Gary Lineker and Matt Baker. Now that our bleary eyes have been opened, does anyone still give a shit about athletics?

VICE: Thinking of taking up any sports, now that The Olympics are done?
Darnell: I have actually been thinking about taking up archery. How's that working out for you?
Well, it hasn't really got further than me thinking it the other day while watching the archery.

Do you still give a shit about athletics?
Jean (left), waitress: I was quite sporty when I was growing up. So you still care about the 10,000m, right?
Erm. No, probably not. No?! Why not?
I work night times and during the day. Oh.

Still give a shit about athletics?
Matt: Well I didn’t before and I do now. I wish I'd had more time to get tickets before it all started kicking off. Anything in particular you liked about it?
I don’t know, it just kind of brought everyone together, you know? I haven’t heard mention of any North-South divide. There’s been no hostility between Scottish, and you know, Northern Irish and, er, Welsh people. It’s kind of unified everyone. Gavin?
Gavin: It was just such a ballache to get tickets.

Rose: I’m inspired!

Gideon: I’m not personally interested. The problem is that I think it’s really hurt people’s businesses, having it locked away. Telling people to stay out of London, and now they’re telling people to go back into London. So, will London stay high?
No, I don’t think so, no. It’s like the Queen’s Jubilee – great build-up for a couple of days and then it all dies. Everything dies.

Dave, football agent: It’s been brilliant. People are taking more of an interest in, you know like, health and fitness… getting kids into sports. Do you think we’re unhealthy as a country?
It’s not for me to say, but from reading the Standard and stuff on the tube, you know, they were talking a lot about nutrition and how people are eating. So now we’re on our way to our physical peak?
Yeah. Hopefully it’ll have an impact on young people. Get them off the sofas and onto the track or field. Previously – Chicks Before Dicks?