July 2 is celebrated across the world as World Sports Journalists Day and in the current Indian context, it is a great time to be one. The media industry along with the sports scenario are both at a crucial juncture as Indian athletes continue to break new ground with every passing day.
The players continue to take rapid strides in a wide variety of sports and keep the tricolour flying high in events around the world. As sports journalists, our role remains to track their progress, to ensure that news of their success reaches the public, and to bring forward and correct any irregularity in the sporting system.
People across the nation often chide sports journalists and the media for being biased towards cricket. That is understandable, but only to an extent. There is a large number of journalists and outlets who work day and night for the betterment of Indian sports, carrying out extensive coverage of non-cricket sports.
As sports journalists, our life revolves around sport – athletes, events and the administration. We work to ensure that the achievements of sportspersons do not go unrecognised, and we try keep an eye out 24x7 to make sure people are informed in a timely and accurate manner.
It is widely accepted that there is a lot of scope for improvement too; sometimes, we are late in breaking news, and other times, we fail to spot the jewels languishing in the mud. But it can also get really disheartening for us to see stories on deserving athletes go unnoticed and unread.
Efforts are continuously made to present the news in the most marketable manner, but ideal results can only be achieved if there is an equal response from the audience.
Things are improving and fans are turning to other sports – like kabaddi and football, which have seen a rise in viewership and stadium attendances. Broadcasting standards have improved and subsequently, so have a few numbers – over 435 million people watched the first season of the Pro Kabaddi League, which has only increased in popularity with every season.
216 million people tuned into the third season of the Indian Super League, with the final garnering a massive 41 million viewers. In the stadia, seats were filled to 84% capacity on average throughout the tournament, which reflects the interest level of the spectators quite well. But unfortunately, this remains only one side of the story.
Aside from football and kabaddi, and to an extent badminton, the other sports are struggling to break ground. Coverage of these ‘other’ sports and athletes will only improve if there is a simultaneous increase in the readers’ interest levels. The media continues to look for innovative ways to inform people about sportspersons and their achievements, but things can improve only if, sports fans take a genuine interest in all sports and not get sucked in by the glitz and glamour of the popular sports stars.
June was a month filled with some top-class sporting action, with the excitement peaking on June 18 – a Super Sunday that saw India play three high-profile matches in cricket, hockey and badminton. Kidambi Srikanth won the Indonesia Open, the Indian hockey team defeated Pakistan by a record 7-1 margin and the Indian cricket team were defeated in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy by Pakistan. But out of these, one event grabbed the majority of the eyeballs on television.
Yes, cricket is the most popular sport in the country and it was the final of an important ICC tournament, but there was a clear difference in the viewership numbers of cricket and other sports. According to data provided by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, the Champions Trophy final got an all-India of viewership of 71.2 million impressions, while the hockey match received a measly 278,000 – a little more than a quarter of a million.
Despite the best efforts of the media to promote all three events, the viewership patterns show that the fans are reluctant to change. In fact, a huge factor in the victories in hockey and badminton gaining attention was the cricket team’s loss later that day.
If things remain the way they are, we are unlikely to see any positive change any time soon. Along with the efforts of the journalists and broadcasters, a change in the attitude of the fans is also required if we are to make significant progress. The average fan, who worships stars and icon players, should look to become more inquisitive about other sports, appreciate the effort that every athlete puts in, and give as much support and recognition as possible.
Without the fan’s desire to watch and know more about these sports, there remains no incentive for the media to improve coverage. It is a vicious cycle that can only be broken if all sides – journalists, authorities and fans – put in their fair contribution.
It is easy to blame the media for lack of coverage and support. But it is important to introspect and ask oneself whether it is fair to expect a rich haul of medals every four years at the Olympics, if at the other times, the same athletes do not receive an iota of the public’s attention.
Yes, people will only watch what interests and appeals to them, but if we really want India to progress at sports, an extra push is needed. It is a team effort that requires a contribution from the people as well. Only with a concerted all-round effort will the hurdles that our sportspersons face come to the fore; and then, their triumphs will taste much sweeter.
Sports journalists as well as fans have the same dream – to see the country on the pinnacle of the sporting world. Let us both play our roles well and give our athletes the support they so richly deserve!
