Laura Robson's rainbow hair-band follows a long tradition of political statements in the sporting arena There had been much talk in Melbourne of a coordinated protest against Court's less-than progressive views, and a Facebook campaign to wave rainbow flags on court, but in the end it was just Robson who showed her colours - though she denied it was part of any organised demonstration. Robson seemed slightly befuddled by the coverage, but concluded: "I wore it because I believe in equal rights for everyone." Professional tennis players live a strange, cosseted life - flying from sunny land to sunny land, room-service tray to room-service tray. They train, refuel, sleep, travel and are easily drawn to a world of introspection and self-interest. Sometimes they even begin to think they are poorly rewarded. English players have been criticised by their peers for being spoon-fed and spoilt. So it was refreshing to see Robson, a few days before her 18th birthday, dip a toe in the waters of protest, albeit unwittingly; to do something a normal teenager might do. She has a couple of political giants looking down on her. Tennis has produced two formidable agitators in the brilliant Billie-Jean King - voted one of the most important Americans of the 20th century by Time magazine - and Martina Navratilova. That they, and other women on the tour, are openly gay makes Court's remarks particularly pointed. There have been other tennis players with political ambitions, if rather less sanguine views - Goran Ivanisevic signed a letter protesting against alleged Croatian war criminals being handed over to The Hague and Britain's own Buster Mottram flew the flag for the far right. At one time ranked 15 in the world, Mottram was not shy about his support for the National Front and Enoch Powell. After retiring he failed five times to be accepted as a Conservative candidate and was later expelled from the UK Independence Party for suggesting an electoral pact with the British National Party Desperate for a British tennis activist of a higher calibre than Mottram, I rang Wimbledon and the kind librarian sent details of Centre Court invasions and protests, but mainly by small furry or feathery creatures - a mouse in 1998, bees in 1982, a squirrel in 1949, a pied wagtail three times in 1990 and numerous pigeons. Other than the 1973 player boycott, over a power struggle with the International Lawn Tennis Federation, the most formidable protest came in 1957. During the men's doubles final, a Mrs Helen Jarvis of Croydon stormed on to the court "shouting and waving a banner in her campaign for a new world banking system." Plus ça change. For those who think sport and politics should not mix - it is too late. Politicians use sport - to proselytise, to empathise. Politicians sit in corporate boxes, drink corporate wine and present sponsored trophies - they woo the sponsors and the sponsors woo them back. Sometimes, in the cases of Mohamed bin Hammam and Jack Warner, sport is a nice little earner. Sometimes politicians use sport to further social cohesion and do good - David Cameron has hosted two receptions at Downing Street for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community and has talked of the importance of kicking homophobia out of sport. Whatever your views on same-sex marriage, how much better that a young woman puts a rainbow bobble in her hair to the stance taken by Michael Jordan in 1990. When he was asked to explain why he was not backing the civil rights leader Harvey Gantt in the election against Senator Jesse Helms, a man with the rip-roaring habit of addressing all black people as "Fred" Jordan replied: "Republicans buy sneakers too."