As we found out on Off The Ball thanks to Hugh MacDonald of the Glasgow Herald, sport has not been immune from the Scottish Independence debate in recent months.
As MacDonald said, there is even a divide between Celtic's hierarchy and its fanbase on the question of whether Scotland should take its chance to become independent and break away from the United Kingdom.
But with voting underway, what have Scotland's leading sports personalities been saying about the prospect of independence, even if some of them will not get to cast a vote?
The 'Yes' side
2013 Wimbledon champion Andy Murray had remained coy about his views until today when he wore his heart on his sleeve this morning:
Huge day for Scotland today! no campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on it. excited to see the outcome. lets do this!
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) September 18, 2014
Scottish judo champion Connie Ramsey has backed the 'Yes' campaign from the beginning, stating:
"What excites me about being an independent country is actually having a country of our own, and to be proud of. We'd get to do what we want to do and what is best for everyone who lives in Scotland, rather than being governed by Westminster governments we don't vote for."
The 'No' side
However, many of Scotland's well-known football personalities have gravitated towards staying in the UK, including former Match of The Day pundit Alan Hansen, ex-Manchester United managers Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, Rangers boss Ally McCoist and one of his predecessors Alex McLeish.
A statement signed by McLeish, Jim Leighton, Moyes, Hansen, Willie Miller, Paddy Crerand, Davie Provan, Barry Ferguson, Bertie Auld, Denis Law, McCoist, Derek Johnstone, Murdo MacLeod, Ian Durrant, John Brown and Frank McAvennie showed their support for the Better Together campaign:
"We are proud that Scotland has always stood on its own two feet but we also believe that Scotland stands taller because we are part of the United Kingdom.
"We urge every patriotic Scot to help maintain Scotland's place in the United Kingdom which has served Scotland so well."
Golfer Colin Montgomerie is another sportsperson to have nailed his colour to the mast of the Union Jack, claiming:
"Going independent would cost everyone a lot of money in Scotland. Who’ll pay for it? The taxpayer and that’s me and I don’t want it."
Ex-track cyclist and Olympian Chris Hoy has also been vocal about his opposition to Scotland taking the independence route, reasoning:
"It will weaken the British team obviously if Scotland went separately, and it would be harder for the Scottish athletes, initially, to establish themselves in a new training environment, with new coaches, with a different environment altogether."
The middle road...
Formula 1 legend Jackie Stewart was coy about his views in an interview with MSN last year, reasoning:
"There will be a referendum in June of next year but I personally question whether there will be independence. I don't know whether the Scottish people will vote for it. I think the only risk will be if the British government does not improve its performance. If you're sitting up in Scotland and you're thinking the British are making a mess of things, then you're going to think twice about wanting to maintain things the way they are."
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