Sports Coverage in the UK

I'm blogging here about how the papers here handle sports writing, which hopefully counts as my class-related blog post. I've been reading The London Times coverage of Wimbledon almost everyday and have noticed a few things that seem to be blog-worthy (the coverage of Andy Murray's matches, to be specific). Murray, a Scottish tennis phenom, was the center of Wimbledon coverage until his exit in the quarterfinals. The coverage here was almost completely focused on Murray (maybe 75% or so). Furthermore, the writers had no problem with openly supporting Murray, congratulating him frequently, describing his matches as "epic," and how one of his matches was "one of the best of all-time."

This does not really happen in U.S. sports coverage. Perhaps this is a reflection on just how strong nationalist feelings are here in the U.K. when compared to those at home. I would argue this is an effect of society on media and not the other way around. Folks here get so caught up with how their countrymen are faring (and comparatively ignore any other sports news); obviously the press realizes this. Therefore they tailor their coverage to focus on the British players, leading to minimal coverage of everyone else.

This does not appear to me to be an example of media affecting society. The Brits seem to be a highly nationalistic people regardless. Though I do not doubt that sports coverage that focuses on fellow countrymen may help fuel/add to these feelings, they certainly are not the cause. It's kind of a chicken/egg deal.

For instance, fans in the U.S. are simply not as passionate and devoted to cheering on and watching their fellow countrymen in the sporting world. ESPN's Wimbledon coverage focused on the Nadal/Federer rivalry, not on American players such as Andy Roddick or James Blake. Again, media leaders in the U.S. realize that people do not want coverage saturated with American players and stories, so coverage remains diverse, focusing mostly on the best, high-profile players.

In this case, society has had an impact on media coverage. It appears that what kind of sports coverage occurs depends on the level of a nation's nationalist feelings and enthusiasm/support for fellow countrymen. Although I admit this can have an effect on media consumers. Media coverage in the U.S. does not focus on American players, which certainly does not help the lack of nationalistic pride in the American sports scene. On the other hand, the focus on British players in the U.K. probably contributes slightly to the already fervent enthusiasm for English players. Again, chicken/egg stuff, but that's what I think.