Legendary broadcaster Michael Parkinson has died, aged 88. Today we re-release an interview we did with him in 2014, looking back on an unrivalled journalistic career which all started with him writing about football for his local newspaper in Barnsley. He went on to become a well respected sports columnist for The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times, and was named sports writer of the year in 1998.

In his early days on the beat in Yorkshire he came across Arthur Hopcraft, who wrote one of the greatest sports books of all time, “The Football Man”, which Parkinson wrote the foreword for. The two were friends for life, sharing a similar philosophy on the game.

We talked to Michael about Hopcraft, football's relevance to English society in the 50's and 60's, why it still matters, writing about the game at a time of huge upheaval, how George Best changed everything and why the modern game held little joy for him.

We join all those today saluting one of the greatest broadcasters of all time.

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Why Sport Is Important: Michael Parkinson 1935 - 2023