Media Coverage of TC

[klaphat]

Mag and others have previously asked if TC would be shown on Danish Television, and there was some surprise when it was announced that no such coverage would take place.

Maybe there will be even more surprise when I tell you about the coverage in Danish newspapers.

I have been away from my home and office since Wednesday (Thursday was a national holiday here in Denmark) and I have therefore had to rely on Television and the newspapers to up-date me.. and it has been a miserable experience..

I heard the score of the Denmark - China match mentioned in the sports-news on television.. so much for television.. I have read several newspapers each day. (Berlingske Tidende and Politiken daily and some extras).. All I have been able to find is the scores.. for instance.. Denmark - Korea: 3 - 2... That is all which has been written.. even about the very surprising win against Korea where the Danes even exceeded their own expectations.. it seems nobody in the media considered that important enough to mention..

Very weird..

This is in great contrast to the media coverage of other sports.. for instance of Tennis' Davis Cup.. or Soccers World Cup.. and I will grant the media that Soccer by far is the biggest sport in Denmark.. but tennis.. I think more than twice as many Danes play badminton.. still.. Davis Cup is followed and often televised.. Thomas Cup hardly exists.. I don't know why it is, but it seems nobody in Danish media considers the Thomas Cup to be worth following...

Maybe I should start my own newspaper... (???)

[cooler]

i think tha danish badminton association and clubs should educate and inform the media about their second national sport. Media people are quite stubborn, they are in their little world and sometime quite out of touch with the population.

[klaphat]

Cooler - I agree.. and recently it seems that the badminton federation has been very aware of that.. however, it seems they have not been that succesful.. yet...

[Bbn]

The only two countries carrying live daily coverage are China and

Indonesia.Malaysia shows 45 min hughlights daily but the English language tabloid

covers it well.

Not to worry there are new growth areas for badminton like Germany, Hong kong

and Holland.Maybe China will give it a big shot in the arm.I think all along Denmark

relies on England for media coverage.

I think the German Men's singles players are actually quite promising.Maybe

Denmark,Germany,Holland UK and Sweden can start an Europen League like

football.

[Mag]

Bbn, there is actually a European league: the EBU Rutac European Badminton Circuit. It consists of about 15 competitions per year. It also has its own ranking system.

Most top players in Europe play in the German Bundesliga, though...

[Bbn]

Actually the Sweden players are not too bad in terms of skill too.

What is needed is more high level competition.

It all boils down to money.

[cooler]

Is the word Bundesliga mean badminton in german language?

[Mag]

Nope, Cooler, Bundesliga is just the name of the German national series. It is used for other sports as well in Germany. In fact, for most Europeans the word is synonymous to the German football (soccer) league...

And Bbn, thanks for the encouragement in these hard times (not a day goes by without Sweden being mentioned as "the whipping boys" in badminton media), but the fact is that Swedish badminton is going through a real crisis, quality-wise... It's simply an all-time low. I mean, Rasmus Wengberg is our best player, and he's just not up to it. He seems to be more interested in drinking beer and chomping burgers while watching TV, rather than being a top athlete... During the Sydney Olympics he wrote a sort of public diary that really revealed his poor attitude and lack of motivation. But of course, that lack of motivation is also a question of money... so in that sense your are right, and this is where the Germans are going the right way.