SPORT runs far deeper than being 'just a game', as recent weeks prove.

Such was the global coverage, you’d do well to remember Sepp Blatter is merely the disgraced head of a sport's governing body, not a universal dictator.

Sepp’s in, out, shake the cash all about will one day be a Hollywood hit, no doubt more so than ‘United Passions’ – yes, that’s FIFA’s official movie, not a 50 Shades sequel – with Blatter’s cronies Jack Warner, Chuck Blazer & co turning on one another in Mafia-like fashion.

There were reports of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics, with BBC Panorama’s expose claiming Mo Farah’s coach Alberto Salazar, who denies the claims, was testing the boundaries.

Then self-confessed cheat Lance Armstrong popped up to say he is now treated like Lord Voldemort, from the Harry Potter books.

Warrington Guardian: I’LL BE BACK: Lance Armstrong, of Austin, Texas, after winning his seventh straight Tour de France cycling race in 2005

Meanwhile, in money matters, Nike deposed rivals Adidas to land an eight-year apparel deal with the NBA worth around $1billion.

Adidas began their 11-year affiliation with the USA's National Basketball Association in 2006, but Nike will take over in 2017.

As well as the staggering amount of money involved, Nike also won the privilege to put their ‘swoosh’ logo on NBA game jerseys for the first time in the league.

The inaugural European Games began in Baku this week. However, overshadowing what should be a celebration of our continent’s finest athletes was an atmosphere of government repression.

But sport and politics shouldn’t mix, right?

Well the European Games’ arrival has cast the spotlight on human rights activists and campaigners in Azerbaijan being jailed and deported.

Some 'red listed' journalists were denied accreditation, some were turned away at the border, while Amnesty International was told by the New Azerbaijan Party, in power since 1995, to postpone its visit until after the Games.

On Twitter, activists, the official organising committee and pro-government support groups battled it out to turn the hashtag #Baku2015 in their favour.

This may be the first European Games, but the second edition has already received a blow after the Netherlands, unveiled as the 2019 hosts in May, withdrew last week.

So much more than just 'a game'.

Quiz time; Sambo is one event being contested at the Games, but where is this relatively modern martial art said to originate from?

Did you guess last week’s trivia? Paulo Sousa won successive Champions Leagues with Juventus and Dortmund, but the other players to win consecutive titles were Marcel Desailly (Marseille ’93 and AC Milan ’94) Gerard Pique (Manchester United ’08 and Barcelona ’09) and Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona ’09 and Inter Milan ’10).