Wed, 8. August 2012
It's The World's Most Popular Sport
I have a very strong admiration for all Olympians - for what they do, for what they sacrifice and for what they achieve. They pop out of the woodwork and into the limelight every four years and compete with the world's elite sportsmen. Well done to them all for taking part and giving it their best shot. Who cares if they win medals or not. The same goes for the Paralympians - good luck to them all. The enthusiasm, dedication and sense of purpose of these (mainly young) sports persons is to be greatly admired as they follow their own personal dreams. It's their moment.
Nevertheless, the Olympic Games bore me and I don't watch much of it on tv.
The most telling statistic at every Olympic Games is that the two most watched Olympic events are consistently....... wait for it...... the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. In other words, the two events that could better be described as show business, rather than sport, are by far the most popular Olympic events.
I've followed one particular sport all my life - Football - and I would prefer to watch that, rather than getting excited over sports that don't interest me at any other time.
Football has always been an Olympic sport but the tv channels here in Australia have always ignored it, even though it consistently draws the largest spectator crowds at every Olympics and is easily the world's most popular sport. It's flagship tournament, the FIFA World Cup, is by many measures bigger than the Olympic Games.
Men's Football has been played at every modern Olympic Games, except 1896 and 1932. You just wouldn't think so if you follow the Australian media. Women's Football has been a fixture since 1996 and I am sure it is here to stay. Maybe the tv channels would show an interest in women's Football if the participants dressed like the girls playing beach volleyball - but that is a very poor yardstick to use and we should be watching the sport for what it is, rather than for what it reveals about female curvature.
Australia is a country of migrants and it has always mystified me that Australian tv channels (SBS excluded) have treated the World's Most Popular Sport (by any measure you care to nominate) as if it doesn't exist, whilst elevating a host of less popular sports as if they are of world-beating importance.
The media here conspire to promote the three rugby codes but most of all they thrust "Thugby League" (or "Boganball", as an acquaintence recently put it) in our faces at every opportunity. They know Football threatens to become the dominant local sport, as it is everywhere else and they are doing whatever they can to suppress it.
For the benefit of Australia's television channels, who doubtless read my blog continually, here are some pictures of a football so they know what they look like: