There are moments in sport that remind us why we fell in love with it in the first place. The recent triumphs of England’s women – the rugby team powering to World Cup glory, the Lionesses capturing the nation’s imagination in the Euros – have been precisely that. What has been most striking, though, is not just the silverware or sell-out stadiums, but the joyful and dignified manner of it.

It has felt refreshing in a sporting culture that too often forgets itself. If you wanted a painful counter-example, you didn’t have to look far. The Ryder Cup in New York, once the pinnacle of friendly rivalry between Europe and the United States, has been so beset by bile this year that even usually genial players such as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry have felt compelled to snap back at the abuse h

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