The signs were always there.
What is going on in the world of sport this week?
Despite concerns about "selling our rugby assets", it has been announced that the Hurricanes and Crusaders have found a licence arrangement that suits all parties, but the Blues and Chiefs are yet to get the nod of approval from the New Zealand Rugby Union.
If the All Black jersey stands for excellence, the Maori All Black jersey stands for resilience
The latest doping revelations by the United States Anti-doping Agency (USADA), upheld by the International Cycling Union (UCI), have seen Lance Armstrong strong-armed out of the history books of cycling. But will his legacy necessarily disappear as well?
Speaking your mind in a public way seems to be more and more acceptable these days. The stiff upper lip is losing ground to the loose-lipped, highly-emotive outbursts that tend to be expressed via tweets, emails, and video blogs. As a lecturer, I find more and more students are expressing their disappointment with their assignment marks via email, by phone, or in online forum discussions.
As the end of October approaches, speculation rises about who will or won't make the final cut for the 2013 Super Rugby season, and this applies to players, coaches, and administrators.
With the revoking of Mike Tyson's visa to visit New Zealand in November, the National Government, John Key, Kate Wilkinson, Life Education Trust, ticket holders to the 'Day of Champions' event, and New Zealanders in general have narrowly evaded a heavy blow from one of the hardest hitters in heavyweight history.
Why was it that last year the condensed NPC was embraced and yet this year, the crowds, coaches and players seem to be giving the 8 week competition the thumbs-down? Rugby overload? Economic recession? Mental and physical fatigue? Less time to actually coach?
Watching the Silver Ferns beat the Australian Diamonds in the opening clash of the Constellation Cup is always a great way to kill some time.
It's time for New Zealanders to say "Sayonara Boy Wonder".SBW is off to play for the Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan for a meagre $1.7 million before going back to rugby league for a one-season contract rumoured to be worth $800,000.
The shock of being beaten after nine years of invincibility in the world of prosthetic runners got the better of Oscar Pistorius as he let loose with accusations about "unbelievably high" and "unbelievably long" legs in the T22 200m final creating a race that was not "fair".
The Olympics are barely over, the Paralympics have just started, and there are four more months of sporting moments to go before members of the Halberg Trust voting academy need to decide who gets their secret ballot.
Several New Zealand coaches will feel like they've got the blues (Carlos Spencer), lost the Blues (Pat Lam), gained the Blues (John Kirwan and Graham Henry), or feeling more Bluey than usual (Brian "Bluey" McClennan).
In the immediate aftermath of her silver medal at the London Olympics, Valerie Adams was beyond consoling and wanted answers with regards to the administrative stuff-up that created unnecessary stress for her on "game" day.
Despite being very different in terms of body shape, gender, ethnicity and energy systems being used in their chosen sports, Nick Willis and Valerie Adams both had something in common: the burden of the hopes of the nation to carry.
The Olympic motto of "Citius, Altius, Fortius" or "faster, higher, stronger" is being applied aptly to the social media realm.
OPINION: Waiting for the Olympics to start is like lying awake with anticipation on Christmas Eve.
If any of our athletes are in need of extra inspiration leading up to the London Olympics, they could learn several lessons from two of New Zealand's high-profile sports people regarding mental toughness and resilience.
You can always rely on the British to adhere to tradition and protocol, especially in a year where they celebrate the old (the Queen's diamond jubilee) and the new (London Olympics 2012).