The last straw

As a long-suffering England football fan, clutching at straws (since '66), I wanted to celebrate British under-achievement generally in sport on the international stage as a mark of clean and honest competitive spirit. Then I realised failure is far from wide-spread. Rugby World Cups 2003 and 2007 (ish). The Ashes. Tim Henman (he did OK). Redgrave and Pinsent. Calzaghe, Hatton and Khan. Boardman. We've also had our moments in badminton, shooting, curling, snooker and darts(!) Looking not that far ahead, Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton seem set for success too. So, any "celebration" seems restricted to football, oh, and athletics. Not sure where this leaves theories on clean and honest competitive spirit. Pass another straw ...