Cahill headlines prove power of media beat-ups
Roar Guru
By David Wiseman, 24 Jun 2009 David Wiseman is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- 2010 World Cup, football, Socceroos, Tim Cahill
Socceroo Tim Cahill leaps - AAP Image/Dave Hunt
The whole Tim Cahill saga was an interesting sideshow to the end of Australia’s World Cup qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup. With a spot in South Africa virtually assured months ago, the final two matches lacked the drama of previous campaigns.
Thus a distraction filled the void.
In the first place, I didn’t think the story was a big deal in any way, shape or form. I read it and couldn’t have cared less.
From there the story was refuted, the paper dug in its heels and quoted a nameless source. Alan Jones weighed in, Cahill snubbed the post-match interview, and then a mystery email emerged.
I was not sure what to expect next, but I’m open for anything – even Bruno or Susan Boyle.
This whole exercise didn’t provide us with anything but an interesting case study of the media and how it operates in the 21st century.
Despite rumours of their demise, media organizations are still incredibly powerful entities.
They have the power to make or break people and they do so every day as a matter of routine. Their interpretations of an event and the way they report it affects people’s lives because at the end of the day, perception is as strong as reality, if not stronger.
A media organization will always claim that it is acting on behalf of the readers, viewers, or listeners, but at times there can come a point in the story when it is acting more in its own interests.
This is when things can get very tricky because hell really doesn’t know fury like a scorned media organization that has let itself off the leash.
It will take off the gloves and dig up your past or even run with something it said it previously wouldn’t.
Mind you, this is all in the name of the story.
It can harass and threaten or use a number of other means to make your life uncomfortable. Being followed by the paparazzi is just the icing on a very rancid tasting cake.
All of it in the pursuit of a big story – the huge headlines tomorrow.
Three-four weeks from tomorrow, people will only have a vague recollection of it. It will be all a haze and blur as newer stories have replaced it and hog the headlines and the airwaves.
If it’s not Gordon Ramsay or the latest Kevin Rudd gaffe, it will be the Chk Chk Boom girl.
Come back Matty Johns. I miss you!
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Kurt said | June 24th 2009 @ 2:37am | Report comment
I thought the most interesting aspect of this story was how soccer fans immediately interpreted it as an attack upon their code, rather than the silly beat up it clearly was. Initially it was the predictable ‘News Limited’ hate soccer and are out to get us’, but after it became clear that the supposedly soccer-hating Melbourne Herald Sun was having nothing to do with it, the range of conspiracy theories exploded. It was punishment for the media ban the Australian coach had put in place. It was an attack on Frank Lowy’s commercial interests. It was an attempt to divert attention from problems afflicting rugby league. It was an attempt to undermine thew WC bid. But like the range of absurd moon-landing or Sept 11 conspiracies no one seemed prepared to accept the most obvious explanation – that it was a dodgy attempt by a media outlet to sell a few more papers by conjuring up a silly story about a high profile sportsman.
For the record I accept that there is still lingering animosity towards soccer from some sections of the media in this country – much as there is animosity towards union and league in Melb, towards AFL in Syd etc. But at some point soccer fans will have to get past this and focus on the host of positive coverage recent socceroos games received rather than the negative bits. You will ALWAYS REPEAT ALWAYS be able to find some negative coverage if you go looking for it. The more you react to that negative coverage however, the more fuel you’ll keep pouring on the fire.
NUFCMVFC said | June 24th 2009 @ 5:41am | Report comment
Disagree Kurt, just have to look at some of the childish comments by people like Phil Rothfield on his blogs, being deliberately selective in not publishing the more reasoned comments of “Soccer” supporters. Not to mention some of the crap coming from DT from one writer slagging off the play with non-football terminology, that does not amount to reasoned debate. The “Pim Veerbeek is destroying the socceroos” line was clearly geared to undermine his relationship with the public, and engender a “hated foreigner” dynamic, the “Socceroos are boring” is designed to tryto create a cyncal perception toundermine positive anticipation in the 1 year WC lead-in time and undermine their “marketability”, the Tim Cahill story was designed to undermine and overshadow and add a taint to our WC bid
The reason the HS didn’t go for it, was because Rugby League isn’t as big here obviously, but there are still heavy links to AFL of course, but more than that, with the expected higher crwod, the Melbourne-Sydney rivalry came to the fore and they sensed an opportunity to really put one over Sydney, ie the Melbourne public support the National team more, the Melbourne media support them more. Not to mention merely sensing the mood, the public KNOW the National team players don’t have the same rampant cynical culture of AFL/NRL stars
Kurt said | June 24th 2009 @ 6:06am | Report comment
Long acronym named guy – if you’re going to start bringing blogs into it then of course you’re going to find some negative crap out there. It’s the Internet for gawd’s sake, I mean look at the rubbish we all write on the roar! As for undermining Pim Veerbeek and saying the socceroos play a boring style, I read plenty of people on this site saying exactly the same thing, are they part of the conspiracy too? And since when did the media have a responsibility to support the marketability of any sports star? There’s an old journalists’ saying that goes something like “The only story worth telling is the one someone doesn’t want you to tell, everything else is free publicity”. I understand that you and most of the soccer die hards who contribute to the roar are Brits who are used to a very different culture – i.e. – one where you can rip into individuals but no-one ever questions the primacy of soccer as a sport. That’s fair enough and I can understand your longing to introduce such a media culture here in Aust but at some point for your own sanity you will have to accept that it isn’t going to happen and just get on with enjoying your sport and focusing on the positive stuff – and there IS plenty out there for all of us.
Slippery Jim said | June 24th 2009 @ 7:48am | Report comment
NUFCMVFC, I agree with most of what you say, as far as that is certainly the way it seems. But Kurt has a point too, a lot of the relentless criticism and negativity has come from football people as well. Shortly before the Cahill nightclub beatup started Cahill was being strongly criticised by football writers, Pim has been constantly criticised and called boring and many so-called football fans still want him sacked before the world cup – unbelievable stuff.
Kurt, if you think most of the soccer ‘die hards’ who contribute to the roar are Brits you are absolutely wrong. I can only think of one British ex-pat off the top of my head who frequents this site. Why people who follow the other football codes think soccer is almost entirely about being British is beyond me…
Robbos said | June 24th 2009 @ 8:21am | Report comment
I finally agree with something Kurt said, it’s that we need to get over it. I have been very guilty of this, instead of glorifying our qualification to the WC or in our WC bid, we have been hooked into a debate about the validity of the Cahill saga & this agenda against football in the country by certain part of the media. WE NEED TO GET OVER IT.
Enjoy what we have the game played by millions & adored by even more around the world & the fastest growing sport in Australia, which has certain part of the media not too happy.
An example, last night I watched the backpage, with 2 NRL men, 1 AFL women (I presume she was AFL, she was a journalist from Melbourne) & a comedian, loosely use name.
They glorified Freddy Fittler, after being caught in the act, half naked, blind drunk knocking on a poor women’s door, excuses coaching the Roosters would drink anyone to drink & he fined himself. He wouldn’t hurt a fly
They crucified Cahill for being petulance towards McLaughlin, accused him of being guilty of the Kings Cross incident & actually wished the bouncer had bounce him. Paul kent (Kent by name kent by nature) of the daily Terror was on & he was particularly brutal.
You can only but laugh at the hypocrisy of it all, no, no agenda Kurt, this is where we differ. But I did laugh & enjoyed the moment & realise they are SCARED, very scared there was no other reason for it, even if you thought Cahill was out of line, it was not deserved in comparison to the light hearted manner that Fittler got dismissed. We do need to GET OVER IT, we are winning.
Mick of Newie said | June 24th 2009 @ 8:32am | Report comment
Kurt I have never got the impression that roar football contributors were British expats. I assumed they are Aust football fans, some born here, some born elsewhere.
I think we all overstate the influence of the media, the DT’s attitude to footballers generally reflects that of its readers. It is dangerous to generalise such a large readership but bashing football is pretty safe territory (as is bashing illegal immigrants, Sonny Bill, pollies, Choc Mundine). It reminds me of those who say Alan Jones provoked the Cronulla riots as if all the kiddies in the shire sit around and listen to Jonesy each morning.
Slippery Jim said | June 24th 2009 @ 8:33am | Report comment
Robbos, well put. The agenda is different, which irks football fans. However the effect is the same.
After learning from Cahill’s interview that it is likely a player agent that sent the email and was stirring up trouble, I now understand Bozzers comment on foxsports.
Kurt said | June 24th 2009 @ 8:36am | Report comment
Robbos – I’m not sure what to say, I’m glad we could find something to agree on – kind of.
BTW, has anyone seen this story? Now THAT’S a conspiracy theory in the making.
http://news.realfooty.com.au/breaking-news-sport/afl-chairman-buys-control-of-anz-stadium-20090623-cv8i.html
Robbos said | June 24th 2009 @ 8:36am | Report comment
Sj, where have you been, football is a foreign game, no real Aussie would follow football, it’s a game for shelias, poofters & wogs (anyone not Australian mate is a wog). Kurt is our VB drinking, meat pie eating, AFL watching dinky di.
Wow flashback, I thought I was back in the 70s & 80s again.
Robbos said | June 24th 2009 @ 8:40am | Report comment
No that is not agenda driven, that is flexing the mighty power of the $.
Similar to FIFA wanting the grounds all to themselves during the World cup in Australia.