That's the funniest KZfaq comment I've ever read.

How is that such a brilliant, funny and intelligent comment doesn't have more likes?!

@@Xcalator35 He was always a class act.

Barnsley!

You are correct he did for a short spell, but sadly for him according to his autobiography the birds he regularly watched migrated soon after, even though they were not migratory birds.

Also, staring these days just isn't on the same level as it used to be.

@@savedroknapp1926 Money has ruined it.

@@martinradcliffe4798 I disagree, the standards are higher thanks to the sports science teams and diets of the players, the tables are perfectly smooth these days and the thuggery has been cut out, it's just not the spectacle that it was before and kids just want 20-20 staring these days

@@chipcobb6015 also there was Covid and more recently the cheating scandals in online staring haven't helped its reputation either. Once people found out Turner beat Spatsky in the 2021 online final using a looped video feed its popularity really suffered. I stayed up all night watching that. Spatsky was phenomenal. Turner should have been banned imo

Its not purely about the UK market anymore. Staring is huge in South America and China now - thats where the money is made these days.

The big reveal is it blinded him but he's never let anyone know.

Disgraceful the way Spatsky was continually overlooked for Polish Sports Personality of the Year.

Which led to his 'poor sight' - which some considered an unfair advantage - because he couldn't see a blxxdy thing!

"idiot"

Wish I’d been there! What a great day it must have been.

It's just not politically correct any more. I blame the #me too movement

Lol really? I thought that was just a myth!

Superglue. The cheatin' bastid.

Are you still exists?

Sad, but entirely agree with you. Mind you, the brilliance of yesteryear is at least some compensation. That classic 27-hour duel between Kampagnola and Nannak that the commentators mentioned still takes the breath away even all these years later. Modern youngsters like Baroni, Osiris and, of course, our very own Mark 'double-eye' Severn have much to learn!

@@booshblue72 the 27 hour contest between Kampagnola and Nannak was so riveting that many were disappointed when it ended so quickly.

@@ianclarke1852 Completely agree with you. I seem to recall it contributed to that shortlived experiment with so-called 'sprint staring' where all contests were to be resolved in a max of 24 hours? Lots of glitz and hype, but on reflection a rather ill judged attempt to appeal to younger starers which ended in the infamous Hugenthaler controversy.

@@booshblue72 difficult to disagree with your analysis

@@booshblue72 so many people now have such a limited attention span that the Kampagnola v Nannak classic could appear overlong.

Oh sorry, my bad. *warning* previous comment contains spoilers for sixteen year old television programme

***** i like spoilers for my car.

Some people just root for the underdog, no matter what.

No, some people just think that Spasky having his eyelids surgically removed in just plain cheating!

A ridiculous overreaction. Staring at the top level can easily be done while observing proper social distancing. I accept the crowd is an integral part of professional staring, inspiring these gladiators to ever greater heights, but I’d rather have imperfect staring than no staring at all. The main thing is the starer’s safety must be paramount.

I'm dying. 🤣🤣

noooooo

The 1000 yard staring contest is still on.

sad, but we still have classic match ups like this one to keep us going

I was a small boy when this match happened, I still remember my whole family around the TV, it was huge! I grew up staring! Where are the Spatskys now? The game has changed for the worse.

But it'd slow down the pace of the game if they constantly had to stop for video replays wouldn't it? Maybe a third official at square leg?

V-Eye-R

I heard that he returned to poland in 2018 and took on the job of a teacher specialising on algebra. However, he is also head of his own stareout club where he teaches blind children to take on the wonderful sport (and art) of staring. Amazing man.

Yes, once the sweat started there was no way back.

Although you may also have known him as Tom Barrington

@@FlyingSpaghettiMonster2000 Oh yeah, forgot about that. Wonder what name he was using when he spewed up some of his stomach lining.

@@simonsimon325 I think it was before he w*nked off those tramps

All bitter Campagnola fans 🥱

They couldn't though. You can't just plonk yourself down and stare at your opponent anymore. Modern starers would have you for breakfast if you tried that.

ahhh... "The Tall Man." Absolute hero

My mum had a huge poster of Kampagnola on our kitchen wall.

it's no longer a sport, it's a business. There's too much money in the game. Sky ruined it. Too many mediocre "starers" who are more concerned with endorsements and sponsorship. Kids today will never know about the greats of the sport and the dedication it took to get to the top. They glare now, rather than stare. When was the last time you witnessed a great contest? But true fans love the sport and we will continue to watch.

Well, I still believe there is hope. There were quite a few very talented newcomers during the last two years, such as Xaver Morat or Federique Krumash that are very promising indeed! Also, I think the corona pandemic revigorated the interest of our young for this marvelous sport.

I don't know, I think there are still people who are in it for the sport. Have you heard of Litz (you might know him as Lietz)? I think he changed his name after fame in his home country and it started to affect his stare. People were always trying to look him in the eyes, but he was quite young and couldn't handle the pressure after a while. But he was phenomenal. He could stare in his sleep. A true master. I once saw him in a bar in a tiny town in Serbia, Bogoyna, I think...close to the border with Bulgaria. He looked a mess. He was staring for beer money. No-one knew who he was but even then he was still annihilating people. They had no idea what hit them. But I knew. I bought him a drink, but didn't say anything about knowing who he was. I think he was thankful for the anonymity. Such a shame though seeing him like that. @@samkershaw8474

johnthefarmer I was thinking of the 2012 games the other day, and how the staring really lifted the mood of the nation. Given the turmoil of 2020, I think I might stick on the DVD tonight and revel in that GB staring gold that came on Super Saturday. Stay Safe, Stare at the Virus, Protect the NHS.