More than points at stake as Liverpool and Manchester United go head-to-head
Long-held grudges and malicious desires from some fans may have spelled the end for fair play in the upper echelons of the game
The Oxford English Dictionary defines sportsmanship as "fair and generous in one's behaviour or treatment of others, especially in a game or sporting contest".
And it gives an example of the noun's usage - "he has a reputation for fair play and good sportsmanship". If we read the dictionary correctly, then good sportsmen and women should be in possession of athletic talent and exemplary sporting character whenever they take to the field of play.
So here's hoping tomorrow's gladiatorial showdown between bitter arch rivals Liverpool and Manchester United will see such paragons of virtue take to the pitch at Old Trafford.
We hope in vain, of course. The acrimony and rancour between the teams makes this the grudge match of all grudge matches each and every time. Even Paul Scholes admitted this week that facing Liverpool was as big, if not bigger than, squaring up to Manchester City.
And given the perverseness of human psychology, it is the malevolence and foul play as well as the hyper-tense football that deems the annual clashes so watchable and memorable.
When the Oxford wordsmiths defined the adjective "sporting", as in "it was jolly sporting of you to let me have first go", they were obviously writing for a sweeter, gentler age. Jolly bitter and unsporting, more like.