The Burning Issue

Who are football's maddest and baddest, why is England's World Cup record since 1966 so woeful, what about Zlatan's arrogance and what would happen if Donald Trump became coach of Team USA? These are The Burning Issues of Football.

Do We Want Our Stars To Lose Their Cool? Who's The Queen of Tennis? Why do we love McEnroe but get annoyed by Kyrgios, and can the Olympics ever be the 5th major? These are the burning issues of Tennis."

Is Shaq just the funniest guy ever? What's going on with the Knicks? And can Lebron James ever be as cool as Michael Jordan? These are the burning issues of Basketball.

Conor McGregor is big news, but is he bigger than the UFC? Boxing is a scary profession at the best of times, but who was the scariest dude of them all? And does a good trash talker necessarily make a good fighter? These and more as we step into the ring, and the cage, to explore the burning issues of fight sports.

Where does FIFA get all its dumb ideas from. Like a 48 team World Cup. And is any player worth 100 million Euroes? We look at what's happened to Dutch football, what's happened to Hope Solo and just what makes José so special. It's our football special and these are the burning issues.

Has Tiger done his time and can we now feel sorry for him? The fellas pulled out of Rio in their droves, so did the women save Olympic golf? And despite their conservative facade, are golfers actually the weirdest athletes of all? It's our golf special here on the Burning Issue.

Being a football playboy looks like fun, but can it also end badly? There have been some horrendous transfer flops over the years, but which were the worst? Is China's Super League threatening to ruin everything? And does Claudio Ranieri's sacking as Leicester Manager prove there's no loyalty left in football? It's our special on the world game on the Burning Issue.

How close to the edge does a sport have to get until it's called 'extreme'? If someone told you to go jump off a cliff, would you do it? Do tattoos on FMX riders necessarily make them any cooler?

Is it right that the Russian drug scandal taints clean athletes, like Yelena Isinbayeva? On the other hand, should we tolerate long standing world records set in eras riddled with doping? Once he's gone, who will replace Usain Bolt as the greatest star in athletics? And will Elaine Thompson be the one to finally dethrone Flo Jo's records? It's our athletics special on the Burning Issue.

Once sacred and impartial but now a popularity contest of strikers, is the Ballon D'Or ruined? Does his on field genius mean we can forgive Luis Suarez for his cannibalistic ways? And while Luis and the other villains get the headlines, we take time to celebrate the world game's nicest guy. It's football on this episode of the Burning Issue.

Of all the crazy personalities in basketball, there is one lunatic who makes the rest look tame. For all the weight put on NBA Championship rings, is basketball about more than just winning? And for all the giants in the NBA, does size really matter? It's our basketball episode here on the Burning Issue.

For all the people with whom Sir Alex Ferguson went toe to toe, was anyone a match for the stubborn Scot? Is David Luiz the happiest ever defender? Is there any doubt that Andrea Pirlo is the coolest guy to ever lace up boots? And are footballers actually way smarter than they look? The hard questions, and the no brainers of the World Game on this episode of the Burning Issue.

The 1992 Dream Team set the bar for excellence so high, no USA team since has lived up to the name. But with the talent in the modern NBA, are we finally presented with a cohort worthy of the moniker?

With so many different events, and only minor changes in the way they swing their arms, is it right that swimmers can win so much gold? Will Michael Phelps ever stick to his word and retire? And what is it about China that makes them so utterly dominant in diving? In this episode of the Burning Issue we dive head first into all these questions, and more.

While Lewis Hamilton will no doubt go down as the better driver, was Nico Rosberg actually the bigger man? With budgets rivaling those of small nations, and with its space-aged technology, has F1 lost touch with its fans? And what is it about Ferrari that makes it so iconic? Issues on high octane this week on the Burning Issue.

For his gladiatorial contribution to Roma, was Francesco Totti given the appropriate sendoff? Although Jurgen Klopp calls himself the normal one, he has in fact brought very special things to the Premier League.

Her reputation as the world's most successful female alpine ski racer precedes her, but the lovely Lindsey Vonn has made a habit of the odd spectacular stack. And while we're on the subject of wiping out, we pose the question of whether surfing's fearless thrill-seekers trump those who almost transcend perfection. It's the conundrum of extreme sports in this week's episode of The Burning Issue.

When it comes to Antonio Conte and Carlo Ancelotti it seems so. But while they have the midas touch, the amount of injuries at Arsenal suggests there are there darker goings on there? Meanwhile, if great players earn the right to retire their number, does it actually deprive younger stars from inheriting a legacy?.

Was it fair for Maria Sharapova to return from a drug ban and be treated like royalty? Is it a blight on tennis's young brigade that Swiss veteran Roger Federer can still win in his mid thirties? And what on earth goes on inside the skull of the notoriously nasty Romanian Ilie Nastase? We put tennis under the blowtorch in this episode of The Burning Issue.

For his ability to transition from the hottest player on earth, an all conquering commander in the hotseat of the biggest club in the world, is Zinedine Zidane the coolest manager alive? For all the talk of him being up there with Ronaldo and Messi, has Eden Hazard lived up to the billing? These issues, and more, in this episode of the Burning Issue.

The fierce burn of a football issue is a joy. Like is Sergio Ramos the most admirable tyrant in football? Do those PFA guys jump the gun and get carried away with premature congratulations? And while Lucy Bronze has a name of lesser metal, there is so much that makes her pure gold. All these stories and more in this episode of the Burning Issue.

Rugby is a tinder box for issues, and it doesn't get any hotter than calling the All Blacks a bunch of softies! Who's the more ferocious, the mighty Sebastien Chabal, or the Honey Badger? And if it gets too hot, no one can cool things off like Eddie Jones with his PR management magic. These issues and more in this episode of the Burning Issue.

Anthony Joshua likes the idea of having cash to burn, but can he really become boxing's first billionaire? And for all its brutality, is it possible for MMA to be a family friendly zone? The hottest issues from the ring, the cage, and on the mat, in this episode of the Burning Issue.

There are few issues hotter in football than Paul Pogba's record breaking transfer fee, but did it create unrealistic expectations on the midfielder? And for all their skill on the pitch as players, many champions have made rubbish coaches. We explore their failures, and offer answers to many other World Game conundrums, on this episode of the Burning Issue.

In the high stakes world of baseball, issues are always going to burn hot. And few are hotter than the perpetual forgiveness of Alex Rodriguez. While honouring his retirement with ceremony was nice, should the Red Sox should have let Big Papi's numbers do the talking? Our blowtorch turns to baseball in this episode of the Burning Issue.