AKFT
07-18-2002, 10:17 AM
I want to start a new thread with these 2 posts that I put under the "***" thread. Since we were going completely off track, I thought it would be more appropriate to put them under a new heading:
Why is badminton not getting the sponsorships that some of the other sports are getting? It is a fast pace sport, and in my opinion, infinitely more exciting to watch than golf, or cricket! Why then is the broadcast media so reluctant to televise the events? I'll take the recent TC/UC to illustrate what I am trying to say.
The TC/UC tournament is one of the premiere events in badminton. All the stars are there. The best countries in the sport get to participate. The matches are exciting. The competition is fierce and passionate. It certainly is badminton at its best. However, when I viewed the video tape (off-the-air, not home video) of the finals between Malaysia and Indonesia, several things struck me. First of all, the sound effects were terrible. The "whack" sound of the racket hitting the bird is a main part of badminton. (That's why one of the criteria in Yonex's evaluation of their strings is the "sound") So to me that sound should be highlighted, just like F1 racing engine sounds and the whack sound in golf. Unfortunately, that addicting "whack" was completely drowned out by the crowd noise in the tape. Furthermore, the commentators were barely audible, again due to crowd noise. That is poor sound engineering. Secondly, there were limited numbers of camera angles. Different angles will be able to bring the game closer to the audiance. Thirdly, instant replay was totally indequate to slow down the plays for analysis by the commentators. If ones objective is to popularize the sport, I believe it is important to educate the general public. To broadcast the games at a level that would enable even a layman to understand what was going on. Otherwise someone who doesn't understand the game will feel lost and move on to watch something else. Last but not least, the commentary and analysis of the games could improve to bring in an expert's angle. Comments on the rackets, the shuttles, shoes...etc would help to promote sponsorship!
In other words, even though the content of the product is first rate, the pakaging of that product left a lot to be desired. If we want the major media to cover these games, we must present a superior product that would not only interest the fanatics, but also appeal to the general public in order to generate more interest in the game. The corporate sponsorships will come if and when the audiance is there.
One should study the cases of tennis and ice skating, how they created the professional leagues and tournaments across country borders. How the competition is amongst athletes form different countries, but competing as individuals. It seems to me that badminton is too nationalistic. Most of the tournaments are between national teams. We should try to promote individual athletes. The general public of one country is not going to passionately support a national team of a different country, but they will support a superior sportsman/sportswoman from a different country. So if badminton wants to promote the sport to countries where it is not popular, they should avoid the nationalistic overtones, and simply promote the sport as a spectator sport.
If one sits down and think about the popularity of badminton: it is played in Asia, which includes China (both PRC & Taiwan), India and Indonesia (the world's most, 2nd & 4th populous countries), Russia and Europe. Obviously, there is no lack of interest in the sport worldwide. What is lacking is solid financial backing. It would require strong leadership to unite the badminton world and to promote the sport. The promotion should be at different levels. It should be at the grass root level to young people, at the corporate level for financing, and at the media level to widen the coverage. The effort has to be sustained in order to be successful. Once the critical mass has been achieved, one should then be able to see a financially sustainable sport.
Why is badminton not getting the sponsorships that some of the other sports are getting? It is a fast pace sport, and in my opinion, infinitely more exciting to watch than golf, or cricket! Why then is the broadcast media so reluctant to televise the events? I'll take the recent TC/UC to illustrate what I am trying to say.
The TC/UC tournament is one of the premiere events in badminton. All the stars are there. The best countries in the sport get to participate. The matches are exciting. The competition is fierce and passionate. It certainly is badminton at its best. However, when I viewed the video tape (off-the-air, not home video) of the finals between Malaysia and Indonesia, several things struck me. First of all, the sound effects were terrible. The "whack" sound of the racket hitting the bird is a main part of badminton. (That's why one of the criteria in Yonex's evaluation of their strings is the "sound") So to me that sound should be highlighted, just like F1 racing engine sounds and the whack sound in golf. Unfortunately, that addicting "whack" was completely drowned out by the crowd noise in the tape. Furthermore, the commentators were barely audible, again due to crowd noise. That is poor sound engineering. Secondly, there were limited numbers of camera angles. Different angles will be able to bring the game closer to the audiance. Thirdly, instant replay was totally indequate to slow down the plays for analysis by the commentators. If ones objective is to popularize the sport, I believe it is important to educate the general public. To broadcast the games at a level that would enable even a layman to understand what was going on. Otherwise someone who doesn't understand the game will feel lost and move on to watch something else. Last but not least, the commentary and analysis of the games could improve to bring in an expert's angle. Comments on the rackets, the shuttles, shoes...etc would help to promote sponsorship!
In other words, even though the content of the product is first rate, the pakaging of that product left a lot to be desired. If we want the major media to cover these games, we must present a superior product that would not only interest the fanatics, but also appeal to the general public in order to generate more interest in the game. The corporate sponsorships will come if and when the audiance is there.
One should study the cases of tennis and ice skating, how they created the professional leagues and tournaments across country borders. How the competition is amongst athletes form different countries, but competing as individuals. It seems to me that badminton is too nationalistic. Most of the tournaments are between national teams. We should try to promote individual athletes. The general public of one country is not going to passionately support a national team of a different country, but they will support a superior sportsman/sportswoman from a different country. So if badminton wants to promote the sport to countries where it is not popular, they should avoid the nationalistic overtones, and simply promote the sport as a spectator sport.
If one sits down and think about the popularity of badminton: it is played in Asia, which includes China (both PRC & Taiwan), India and Indonesia (the world's most, 2nd & 4th populous countries), Russia and Europe. Obviously, there is no lack of interest in the sport worldwide. What is lacking is solid financial backing. It would require strong leadership to unite the badminton world and to promote the sport. The promotion should be at different levels. It should be at the grass root level to young people, at the corporate level for financing, and at the media level to widen the coverage. The effort has to be sustained in order to be successful. Once the critical mass has been achieved, one should then be able to see a financially sustainable sport.