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Sports
THE DUGOUT Tarryn Steenekamp
POOR SHOW – SA’s Substandard Sports Broadcasting
SOUTH AFRICA - one of the most prominent and distinguished sporting nations on the planet - yet a country that lacks world-class sports broadcasting to match our luminous on-ield performances. From radio to television, the gap between South African broadcasting and that produced abroad remains wide. We’ve all been there; watching the seven o’clock news, deafened by a journalist trying to convey the latest sports results in a language that somehow sounds nothing like English. With shocking on-camera presence, poor pronunciation and a knowledge of sports on par with that of a 10-year-old, it incenses me that viewers are being subjected to sports anchors of this standard. It is also distressing that certain broadcasters have reverted to
employing famous sportsmen to provide sporting analysis for the sole purpose of increasing ratings, and have in the process tossed aside quality journalism. Instead of hiring a retired sports hack with absolutely no broadcasting experience, it would be better to employ individuals who are able to contribute a passion for sports, a deep understanding of the game as well broadcasting knowledge and lair. It is necessary to ind a healthy balance. I think I speak for the majority of sports fans when I say that we would rather hear the views of a professionally trained sports pundit, than have to endure a rugby player’s mediocre sports show on our radios each Saturday. The bottom line is, simply do not employ an individual unless they
are competent in both the areas of sports as well as broadcasting. Situated in Randburg Gauteng, South Africa’s premier sports broadcaster recently constructed a new multi-million rand high deinition studio in mid-2010. The studio houses state-of-theart recording, sound and lighting equipment, and is the irst studio of its kind on the African continent. While I believe the company should be applauded for their innovative work, their employment strategy leaves a lot to be desired for. When you have spent millions of rands on a ground-breaking studio, surely your objective would be to ill it with only the best sports journalists South Africa has to offer? Is it not a priority to ensure that the quality of your analysts is on par with your world-class equipment?
Ironically though, it seems these ‘channels of champions’ have made the crucial mistake of employing sub-standard journalists. Sky Sports is celebrated across the globe for its lawless sports coverage – from employing only the best journalists to providing perfect statistical analysis and a wide-range of coverage, they seem to have found the perfect broadcasting balance. Now, while I feel rather privileged to have an opportunity to watch four hours of Sky Sports on DStv each day, it puzzles me to think that one of our own local sports broadcasters is the channel providing this coverage. Yes, for four hours a day one can lip to channel 200 and watch arguably the best sports journalists in the world at work. Why on earth would you parallel award-winning international journalism with your
own channel’s mediocrity? leaves me dumbfounded.
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The standard of sports broadcasting has long been deteriorating in our country and this issue needs to be rectiied. We have suficient talent in South Africa and have the facilities and equipment to compete with leading sports broadcasters around the globe, but this talent needs to be harnessed and not neglected. Aim to employ only the best individuals and establish yourself as a top broadcaster for the right reasons.
Tarryn Steenekamp is the Sports Editor of VARSITY newspaper.
La Liga: A Dull Tale of Two Clubs ONE OF the most exciting aspects of international sport is the pure unpredictability of the game. The unpredictable nature of football is particularly exciting and is present in almost every league in the world – barring one: the Spanish La Liga, where European giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid continue to dominate week in and week out. In other leagues around the world there is constant change; eras and cycles come to an end – but not in the Spanish La Liga. The mere thought of a team other than Real Madrid or Barcelona winning the league is incomprehensible. Every team focuses on Barcelona’s and Madrid’s every move, hoping that this will be the game where they will inally lose. A draw by Barcelona or Madrid in the La Liga these days can certainly be considered a defeat by Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho respectively. A narrow victory by a single goal is considered a defeat. Since the start of the Spanish season, Barcelona have won 20 of the 22 games they have played and Real Madrid have won 17 of their 22 games. Two of the world’s best footballers, Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, have both scored 24 goals respectively, which is an average of more than a goal a game. How absurd, then, that some teams in the league have not even been able to score that number of goals combined. Last
season Real Madrid broke the points record in the La Liga but they unbelievably still did not win the league. Barcelona managed to accumulate a staggering total of 99 points, and this season they are on course to eclipse the 100-point mark. Over the past twenty years these teams have been denied lifting the La Liga trophy only four times.
“The mere thought of a team other than Real Madrid or Barcelona winning the league is incomprehensible.
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Thabang Letheo
Last year’s FIFA World Cup was the irst time in the history of the competition that the Spanish national team lifted the World Cup trophy. The starting line-up at the inal consisted of seven Barcelona players – Pique, Puyol, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro and David Villa – and three Real Madrid players – Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso. Capdevilla of Villareal was the single Spanish club outsider. At the FIFA World Player of the Year gala event held
at the beginning of the year, the nominees for World Player of the Year, Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, were all from Barcelona FC – a strong indication of the abnormal strength of the current Barcelona team. The other teams in La Liga cannot compete as Barcelona and Real Madrid are internationally renowned clubs with monstrous revenue per annum. To splash out more than €30 million on a single player does not put a dent in either team’s budget, but rather a huge strengthening of their already strong arsenal. They are both ranked in the Top 50 of the Forbes Most Valuable Sports Teams, with Real Madrid ranked sixth and Barcelona coming in at 25th. They both earn within the region of €125 million in domestic rights; the next highest is La Liga’s Valencia on €42 million – and that is less than what an English Championship side like Middlesbrough receives. The Spanish La Liga is the only league where the outcome of a single campaign is a forgone conclusion before a ball is even kicked. The smaller teams cannot compete at all with these two giants, but they should not give up as young talent always starts off somewhere, and if they can develop their players from a young age, not let go of their stars and continue to build, they can deinitely compete. Clubs need to believe that they can put an end to this era of dominance.
NO FUEGO – Has the Spanish La Liga become the most mundane league in the world? Picture: Getty Images