With the standoff between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association finally concluding in the announcement of a new deal on Thursday afternoon, it is time for Cricket Australia to build a stronger media unit.
For years, Australian cricket has almost disappeared entirely from the sports pages from March to September. This is a stark contrast with the AFL, who very wisely built their own fully-fledged media unit several years ago to ensure they never disappeared from the news cycle, even in the off-season.
The last few weeks of stories about the ongoing impasse between CA and the ACA have really highlighted to me how unusual it is to read about cricket in August. Compare this to how many articles about the AFL are available through the summer months and it’s clear CA need to lift their game in this area.
I’m sure I am not alone in wanting to know more about what our national and state cricketers are up to in the off season, especially those playing county cricket and in T20 tournaments across the globe. Combine this with ongoing changes to state and Big Bash teams, and there is a wealth of information that could be published through the winter months.
The AFL is not alone in their ability to maintain a year-round presence in the news cycle. The National Basketball Association in the US really only has one month a year (August) where basketball news is relatively quiet. Between the draft, free agency, summer league, pre-season, regular season and finals, there always seems to be plenty to discuss about the league and its various goings on.
Cricket in Australia may not have as many teams or players as the NBA or AFL, but it does have extremely strong TV coverage, and constantly achieves high ratings from November (sometimes October) through to February and March every year.
As the AFL has continued to strengthen its position through its media unit, CA can definitely achieve similar success and strengthen its fan base through year-round media coverage of its players and teams. I’d be happy to help, Cricket Australia. Feel free to get in touch.
horse
Guest
The agreement between CA and ACA is a humiliation for CA, as it grants the players most of what they wanted and secured little in return. Worse than that, the negative media attention blocks out any good off-season cricket news and encouraging stories go unheard, as Daniel says.
simplegirl
Guest
This is a serious problem, you guys Ken and Liam. Cricket is too important to be trivialised like rollerball. Daniel is right, it does need better coverage and certainly better news. Bring it on, Daniel!
Ken Spacey
Guest
Perhaps we could send Malcolm Conn to face Starc without any protection. That would get a lot of people from other sports interested.
Liam
Guest
Given I know nothing about the NBA, all I can do is take from the example you borrowed, and AFL is insipid for the sheer amount of rubbish that is published, then repeated via paraphrasing, then discussed ad nauseum via talkback or blokieness on the Triple M's of the world. If the coverage was not drivel, then you'd be right, but why would you expect that we'll get journalism when all we get these days is marketing? My biggest issue with the AFL coverage is that it isn't there to tell me something I don't know, or get me to look at things a different way. It's there purely to occupy the airwaves, to fill newspapers, to occupy space in our minds the same way Coka cola occupies fridge space. If all that is spoken about is you, there isn't space for rivals. If cricket became thus saturated, I'd stop following it. I'd play it, because I enjoy it, but I'd switch completely off the Australian team and the BBL.
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
I don't think the DT and other Murdoch outlets are in any way important. Was just an example of one area of coverage. Even Cricket Australia's website has next to no new content for months on end outside of summer.
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Different strokes for different folks, Liam. I'm not thinking fluff pieces, etc, as much as interesting stuff that might not get much coverage in the regular season. Every October, I read articles about all the changes state teams and BBL sides have made to their lists in the off-season, but it's never reported at the time. I'd be interested to know what new coaches are planning on doing to improve their team if they were terrible last season, or what players are working on to improve. More content doesn't have to mean drivel, if it's done well. AFL was the best local example, but I think the NBA does a much better job of generating meaningful off-season content to keep fans engaged year round. There is less in the off-season, so it's not as intense as during the season and finals, but it also doesn't dry up entirely. Somewhere in the middle would be nice.
Matt Jones
Guest
mSM is becoming less MS I think we need to stop thinking that coverage in the Daily terrorgraph etc is important
Liam
Guest
No. You make it sound as though the AFL's 24 hour news cycle is a good thing, when in reality it's suffocating. I love footy as much as the next person - from Victoria, at least - but most of the stuff being reported is repetition, regurgitated for nothing more than to ensure that if something is being said, it's about AFL. Spare me. I don't want to know what music Drew Petrie listens to, or how good Isaac Heeney is at Coits; nor do I really want to hear about the Dangerfield tackle and how the Brownlow should be amended to allow him to be eligible despite having gotten a week, but over and over and over again. Trust me, this is very much be careful what you wish for. If you're starving, there's other sources of news - crickbuzz is where I go - and other ways to watch/see cricket. At the end of it, that's why we follow sport; not for the media, but because ultimately we like the game. I love watching footy, but I can't stand the sheer amount of media it gets. If everyone shouts, regardless of whether it's about cricket or not, all you get is noise.
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
I've hit them up on Twitter, so let's see if they acknowledge me.
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Let's see what I can come up with
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Cheers Noel
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Hi Matt, Thanks for commenting. There is a small amount of IPL coverage in MSM, and a little bit when the national side is on an overseas tour, but it's very quiet beyond that. An interest study would be to compare how many AFL articles are in the daily news in January, compared to cricket articles in August. I'm pretty sure AFL would win hands down. No problem with wanting a break from cricket, but some of us would prefer to have cricket news year round. I do think there is scope for a lot of interesting stories in the off season that aren't being told for some reason.
matt jones
Guest
For years, Australian cricket has almost disappeared entirely from the sports pages from March to September i reckon that is not true, The Australian team travels a lot during this time plus the IPL. A break of cricket during the winter freshens me up. Many people arent interested in cricket 12 months of the year
Horse
Guest
You're so right, Daniel. NBA and AFL have shown cricket how to present itself to the media. The sooner Cricket Australia call you, the quicker they'll get some decent media coverage,
Bells
Guest
We're starving for cricket here, bro. Anything you can do to give us a game would be cool.
noel
Guest
Absolutely! CA needs a better look and you're just the man.