I follow pretty much every code in Australia and beyond. I just love competition and excellence. Whether it’s watching an AFL blockbuster with 90,000 in the crowd on free to air TV, or a biathlon race on Eurosport with seemingly no crowd at all, I’m in.
Which is why, as a consumer of sport, it always amazes me when – as athletes strive to achieve – the media themselves try to take each other down.
Today, respected cycling journalist Mike Tomalaris wrote a blog post on the SBS’s excellent site CyclingCentral bemoaning the fact that coverage of Cadel Evans’ Tour de France victory would be short-lived in the mainstream media.
The killer line was “But the question I ask is why the same newspapers choose to neglect the sport at any other time of year?”
Now, cards on the table.
I LOVE cycling. I’ve been a big fan for years and due to my general laziness am much more a fan than a participant these days. The sport pulses with a unique mixture of individual achievement, complex team tactics, and history.
So, my love (obsession) of cycling means I use a range of media and am constantly searching out results and coverage from the largely European dominated sport.
Other cards on the table – I interact a fair bit with the boys (and girls) at SBS and many other media agencies covering cycling. The combination of social media and my slight obsession means I’m in touch with quite a few people covering the sport.
Which brings me to my point.
Why, seriously, would SBS allow Mike’s first blog post for ages to be a defensive diatribe questioning the actions and commitment of OTHER PRESS AGENCIES to the sport of cycling?
Why wouldn’t he, and SBS, enjoy the fact that cycling (however briefly) is in the mainstream and leverage that – rather than seek to drive a wedge?
This seems to be an emerging culture at SBS Sports. Bemoan the fact that no-one is paying attention to the sports that they love, then bemoan the interest when the sport becomes popular.
It’s a kind of ‘chip on the shoulder’ cultural cringe that is inhibiting to them and the sports that they cover.
And it’s spreading.
Mike Cockerill’s most recent tirade, in which he asked the creepy question “Is the Sports Minister a ‘FRIEND’ of football?” (breathtaking in terms of the lack of awareness of how conspiratorial and corrupt the very question sounds in an environment where world football is under the microscope) is another example of sports journalists looking for fights where they simply don’t exist.
So Mike. I love ya – we all love ya as much as a Gabriel Gate dessert. So please, just let the nation enjoy the moment for what it is.
Sure, SBS has been covering cycling on telly for years. And sure it’s possible that people like Cadel might ignore that and do an interview with a major network.
Just get over it.
And continue what you do best – coverage, analysis and promotion because you want to and you realise how important it is.
(Oh, and by the way, there were aussie journos covering the Tour long before you guys arrived. It wouldn’t hurt to remember that as well. Just saying …)
What’s your best bet? For great odds on all your favourite sports check out PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
It’s a pretty good time to be a Tasmanian sports fan right now. After years in the sporting wilderness with not much to celebrate,…
Olympic swimming legend and Australian Sports Commission boss Kieren Perkins has warned that "someone will die" if a multi-sport event that allows athletes to…
In 2015 when heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko, the fighter regarded by many as the ‘Greatest of all time’ in the sport,…
Join Australia's most vibrant online sports community and you have the chance to win $1000. The Roar is the perfect blend of sports reporting,…
Here is a review of our boxers who made a splash in the world rankings over the past year.
After intense debate at Roar HQ, we’ve selected the 23 most controversial moments for 2023.
