I was always a sports nut but I’ve lost interest now in whether one bunch of mercenaries in north London is going to beat another bunch of mercenaries from west London.

Cleese contrasts his youthful enthusiasm for sport with a later cynicism about modern professional football. By calling the teams “mercenaries,” he suggests that players’ primary loyalty is to contracts and wages rather than to local identity, tradition, or supporters. The geographic shorthand (“north London” vs “west London”) evokes famous rivalries, but he treats them as interchangeable corporate squads, implying that commercialization has hollowed out what once felt meaningful. The remark functions as social commentary: when sport becomes primarily an entertainment business, the emotional stakes for fans can feel manufactured, and a former “sports nut” may disengage.