Badminton:Very Popular,yet not Popular?

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by DaN_fAn, Oct 7, 2005.

  1. DaN_fAn

    DaN_fAn Regular Member

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    Badminton is played almost everywhere.In India [which is definitley not a powerhouse for the Sport]alone you will find a lot of players playing in clubs everywher in the country.While some play for amusement ,some for fitness,and of course the players who take up Baddy Proffesionally, it's really heartening to see the no.s who actually play the sport..which would suggest that it is very popular but alas that's not the case.[in terms of media coverage]Ex-The no. of players playing Baddy and Tennis in India is more or less the same yet Tennis get's more media coverage.
    Another case-My new college has just opened.Yesterday the selection dates for various sports were announced.of course i gave my name for Baddy.There are no courts in my college and the course i have taken is so very academically oriented i hardly expected only a handful from the entire college to give thier names.imagine my suprise when i find that from my class alone 35 of them[out of 70 approx]have given their names for selection most giving up football,hockey ,basketball etc.
    It's really shocking that so many actually are interested in taking part[win or lose is different].
    All i am saying is that 'probably' all around the world the No.of people playing Baddy[Proffesionally or just for fitness everyday ] is high enough that baddy should be getting atleast get atleast 3 times the Media coverage it is getting.
    I also remember reading that Baddy is the 2nd most Participated Sport in the world.So considering the huge no.s involved the media coverage received is pretty poor.

    if u are understanding what i am saying,i mean that if Baddy was to get as much media coverage as Tennis gets there would pobably be twice the no. of people playing Baddy as compared to tennis in the world today.Why?Probably because Badminton is a much better sport..also one major advantage is that it is an indoor sport.

    I think the whole fault lies only with the image problem[or with the money; in any case both are inter-related].i think we need Something BIG.No something really BIG to change the image.Like when a FIFA world cup is going on the whole world knows that it's happening.

    I think ONE big-big tourney[the AE,WC etc. are fine but not enough]with a hell lot of prize money,media coverage,good TV production is enough to change this.
    Things cannot really go on like this.the IBF need to 'hit' the world with Baddy ,show people who do not know,what it's like.That's why i think the idea to start a 'World League' by 2009 is an excellent idea.One that it's going to be a really big tournament and secondly that it might well be as long as 3 months until the tourney ends.So enough exposure time for Baddy to cement it's place as the finest[for me atleast] or one of the finest sports in the world.it's really going to take something like this to change Baddy's image in a world where baddy is played and followed by many many millions yet it does not 'seem' that baddy is popular.
    I hope that the IBF have started preparing for such a league and that this is not something that is delayed.If such a league does happen,I hope[and think]that it can change Badminton's image Forever.
     
    #1 DaN_fAn, Oct 7, 2005
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2005
  2. **KZ**

    **KZ** Regular Member

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    well.....


    badminton is very popular in Malaysia
     
  3. DaN_fAn

    DaN_fAn Regular Member

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    Yes,Badminton is very popular there and Badminton is the best hope for malaysians for winning medals in major team competitions .yet you have tournament from other sports with much higher prize money.another example is that the China Open[tennis] has much more prize money than the China Open[badminton] inspite of the fact that Chinese dominate the sport and also the no. of people playing badminton to that of Tennis in China would not be comparable[Badminton higher obvously]

    See?It all comes down to the image.Better image then more Companies,Sponsors come Forward.So even though it is so Popular out there for the Sponsors it's unpopular.
    Got the difference?We NEED an image Change.
     
  4. other

    other Regular Member

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    only in certain countires/climates...tennis can be played on a lovely sunny day but badminton still needs to be built in an acceptable hall (cost $$$ to build) whatever the weather (apart from competely no wind i guess).
     
  5. DaN_fAn

    DaN_fAn Regular Member

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    yes,of course.But i was referring to the fact that because it is an indoor sport it can attract a lot more players since there can never be weather problems;especially in the case of veterans who would enjoy Badminton more than Tennis-so in that sense,more popularity.


    Hmm..again acceptable hall/arena is very difficult to build.More importantly a TV friendly hall is even more difficult[and expensive] to build.maybe that's another reason.Coz the Atmosphere [Surroundings of the court]of Tennis are defineltely better.i am not comparing the 2,but only saying that this is also an important factor that contributes to the 'IMAGE'.And there are only a handful of such arenas in the Badminton world.Yes very expensive to build such arenas is definetly a factor.
     
  6. other

    other Regular Member

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    yup, the atmosphere of a tennis court with the sun out is very lovely to watch. whereas the indoor badminton halls are a bit boring and not very tv friendly. in england, there are some free of charge tennis courts (tarmac/concrete) in parks etc, but no free badminton courts.
     
  7. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    Sports - October 7, 2005

    By BY DAVE KEMPTON
    SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS
    Published by news-press.com on October 4, 2005


    IF YOU GO
    • What: Organized badminton games
    • When: 6 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. Saturday
    • Where: Brookshire Bath & Tennis Club
    • Information: Gerry French, 768-5055, or gfe.blogsite.com

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    They don't play badminton at Brookshire Bath & Tennis Club the way you play it at home in the backyard or at a beach picnic.

    The way you play at home is, usually on the Fourth of July, you drag out your cheesy badminton set that was buried deep in the garage. You spend the next hour trying to assemble the poles and untangle the net.

    The children whack the shuttlecock around, amused by something that does not resemble a ball.

    That's not how they play badminton in Korea, India, England, China, the Olympic Games, or at Brookshire. The game is very different from your backyard variety.

    The dozen or so serious players at Brookshire hit the shuttlecock directly at each other. In elite competitions, the "bird'' can reach speeds of about 200 miles per hour. Sometimes, without a rally, a point takes all of two seconds — boom, boom, boom.

    The players describe the local badminton games by using words such as technique and finesse.

    Doug Worthington, 65, who retired recently as a teacher and coach at Canterbury School, rediscovered the game two years ago while visiting England.

    "I realized how great of a sport the game is, especially for someone older — you cover less distance than tennis, for example," said Worthington, who plays five racket sports — tennis, table tennis, racquetball, pickleball and badminton.

    Worthington is the first of this committed group of Brookshire players to dispel any notion that their games are of the "backyard or picnic'' variety.

    "None of the picnic stuff. We want no breezes, but a controlled environment," Worthington said. "It's not an easy sport to learn. You need to find the sweet spot with your racket and it takes great hand-eye coordination. I've played every racket sport, and this is the best.

    "The sport, around the world, is very popular. Badminton was started in England and then taught by the English in India and Malaysia."

    Worthington teamed with Brookshire racket-sports enthusiast Gerry French to start an informal program. Worthington and French attended a badminton camp in August 2004 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., attending sessions from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

    "We were plenty sore, but you were taught everything," Worthington said.

    "Three U.S. Olympic badminton coaches conducted the camp," French said. "We learned the technique for everything from lob shots to drop shots. I would describe badminton as a high-speed version of tennis doubles."

    One of the more accomplished players at Brookshire is Dr. Mark Norleans, 40, who started playing the game in his native China in grade school and continued when he attended medical school at Louisiana State University.

    "Badminton is a very elegant game, technical with a decent amount of fitness required," said Norleans, who moved to Fort Myers three years ago and now practices medicine in South Fort Myers.

    "We need better courts in Fort Myers, the closest badminton club is in Venice. This would be a great sport for high school and college students to learn. It's not easy, but a real good workout."

    Ingrid Rackebrandt, 26, visited India in December 2004 with her boyfriend Jay Mandal, and discovered the sport.

    "I played racquetball, but it was slow and boring. Badminton is very fast and technical, and, regardless of your age, you get tired," said Rackebrandt, who operates the Tae-Kwon-Do United school in South Fort Myers.

    "Now I'm addicted, no more racquetball."

    Canadian Roger Brown, 34, also left racquetball for badminton.

    "Badminton is an intellectual game, with a lot of finesse," Brown said. "It's like comparing chess to checkers, there's a lot more strategy involved."

    Joe Mahler added the word deception in describing the sport.

    "You can rotate your racket ever so slightly and change where the shot goes," Mahler said.

    Mary Soucek, 53, played high school badminton near Chicago and returned to the game at Brookshire in 2004.

    "Tennis might have more power, but you must have quickness in badminton and good hand-eye coordination," Soucek said. "The game we play is not the 'old ladies sport' that you see described in a neighborhood gathering."
     
  8. DaN_fAn

    DaN_fAn Regular Member

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    Yup.Anybody who has played all the racquet sports would say Baddy is the best.
     
  9. SomeDudeInBlue

    SomeDudeInBlue Regular Member

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    The best is always matter of opinion. And because something is popular doesn't literrly mean it's the same for every part of the world.

    At our school, we have the badminton team and the tennis team. The badminton is really small compared to the Tennis team. I was talking to my friends (majority Tennis players) and I was discussing why they loved tennis so much and they also asked me why I loved badminton so much (they wanted me on the tennis team). They told me tennis was something they can do outside, something they enjoy competively and for fundamental reason. I told them badminton was really competetive and I kinda slurred badminton was more exhasuting than tennis. They understand all the running, but it's still something considered "matter of opinion". Everyone has different opnions, different personality, weren't all the same.

    Badminton is considered the second most popular sport in the world because of the estimated spectators and players around the world. But some part of the world might be mroe dense in population then other part of the world. Badminton isn't very popular in my region of California, but if you traveled south, where there is more densed population such as San Jose, San Diego or LA, badminton is very popular compared to our part of California. Even if you traveled north into Oregon or Washington or even Canada, badminton is more popular there. All I'm trying to say is that badminton is popular in some places while other badminton isn't exposed to the public enough.
     
  10. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    i do appreciate that tennis has one advantage over badminton and that is to able to play the game outdoor (when it's sunny). However, i do know dedicated tennis players play indoor tennis alot too for same reasons as badminton. Isn't that badminton was first played outdoor, like on court yards and later move into an indoor sport?
     
  11. virusvoodoo

    virusvoodoo Regular Member

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    Yes, that's why many people in North America still thinks that it is an outdoor backyard sport rather than one of the extreme and exciting sports when played indoor with the right equipments.
     
  12. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    I thought that up until a 6 months ago. :eek: :eek: :eek:

    :eek:
     
  13. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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  14. tobradex

    tobradex Regular Member

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    Not TV Friendly

    I also agree that Badminton is not a TV friendly sport.

    1) The bird is difficult to see for an inexperienced viewer. I know most badminton players can follow the bird but in a professional match the bird "disappears" often on smashes or unanticipated shots. If you don't play or have slow eyes it's hard to watch.

    2) Live viewing is also difficult for this reason (though considerable better). Also I think the court size also limits the number of "good seats". So that indicates to me it would be difficult to organize an event area similar to say the "Wimbleton" or any other major tennis event.

    However I wonder if someday when someone pumps big money into tournaments if TV people won't think of a way to pick it up anyway given the popularity.

    I think currently in North America badminton is gaining popularity but is not quite on par with other mainstream TV sports yet. So it's probably not likely the TV Stations will pick it up soon. :(
     
  15. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    i think hockey puck, golf balls, baseball (in air and inside gloves), lacrosse ball, and even tennis ball are harder to see.
     
  16. Eurasian =--(O)

    Eurasian =--(O) Regular Member

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  17. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    Posted on Mon, Apr. 16, 2007



    Badminton players hope sport grows

    By SARAH LARIMER
    Associated Press

    MIAMI LAKES - Badminton has changed since **** Witte first picked up a shuttlecock in 1938.

    Players are more agile - they dart around the court and fire calculated, precise shots. The game is faster - the shuttlecock can fly at speeds of more than 100 mph. And equipment is pricier - some rackets can cost more than $150.

    But Witte said there still is not enough serious interest in badminton and for most Americans, the game hasn't moved out of the tap-tap game played in the backyard.

    "I think that most people have the impression that badminton is a sport where you've got a gin and tonic in one hand," Witte said.

    Although badminton suffers from a decidedly bad rap, the sport's aficionados said they hope to recruit younger American players. The U.S. Badminton Education Foundation is trying to foster the sport's growth by reaching out to children and its national governing body has posted a guide of court locations on its Web site, to help draw in new players.

    "There's nothing wrong with the kids," 81-year-old Witte said. "It's a matter of exposure."

    The competitive game and its backyard cousin are starkly different. Some competitive players said they often prefer enclosed areas with walls painted bright green, so they can easily see a darting shuttlecock.

    While leisure players might not be prepared for quick shots, the best competitors are conditioned to move fluidly across the court. They prepare for brutal corner drives and smashes across the flimsy net. Rally play can stretch on, lobs can tower over players and short blasts can force them to react with the speed of a hockey goalie.

    A 2006 Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association study found that 6.2 million Americans played badminton in 2005, said Mike May, a spokesman for the association. Of those, May said, the average badminton player only plays about 13 days per year.

    The sport enjoys more popularity in Asia - China, South Korea and Indonesia have won 85 percent of the Olympic medals - and Europe.

    "I don't expect everybody to play it, but I just want people to have a healthy respect for it," USA Badminton Regional Director Dave Zarco said. "Because if people have a healthy respect for it, then badminton becomes more popular."

    Players said American teams could keep pace with international rivals if more prize money were involved, a larger television audience watched the game and stronger junior programs developed. But the United States can't really compete now, players say, because there isn't much of that.

    Zarco said he tries to introduce South Florida high school students to the game, but is met with resistance from football, basketball and baseball coaches who don't want to see their best players distracted.

    "They don't want them playing badminton because it takes away from their sport," Zarco said. "Well, you know what? Too bad."

    A teacher encouraged Leannet Gonzalez to join the badminton team at Miami's Coral Park High School this season, and she picked it up in a matter of weeks. Now she hopes to play in college.

    "It's wonderful. It's entertaining. It's a good workout. It keeps you in good shape," Gonzalez said.
     
  18. Shifty

    Shifty Regular Member

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    yeah, our school's like that. full blown tennis competitions and stuff, at least 15 teams, and badminton has ONE competitive school team...sad :(
     
  19. franxon

    franxon Regular Member

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    we need Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to pair up for men's doubles, Tom Cruise to play singles on Brad Pitt, Gorge Clooney to team Julia Roberts up for mix doubles or, the Hilton sisters for women's doubles....

    Or simply, Roger Federer sits in the first row watching Lin Dan playing against Taufit, beside him there are Tiger Woods, Michael Schumacher, Kobe Bryant and David Beckham....
     
  20. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    Hmm, this has been brought up before but I think we just need...

    ..and like this quote taken from cooler's article(previous page):
    "Players said American teams could keep pace with international rivals if more prize money were involved, a larger television audience watched the game and stronger junior programs developed."
    ...just a fraction of their monies(if they want to donate or give a bit of it:p) and invest them in badminton in the U.S. *Imagine* Bill Gates & Warren Buffett pitching in, just 1/50th of their monies, for U.S. Badminton-it's a small investment w/ a possibility of a much higher return...:rolleyes: :p ;)
     
    #20 ctjcad, Apr 18, 2007
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2007

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