Is the British Olympic Coverage too Parochial?

by anotherworldofpain Sun 05 Aug 2012, 10:32 am

First topic message reminder :

Team GB make some impressive success in the 2012 Olympics, but is the fawning media coverage of what is an expected boost in home medal count a global embarrassment? Has national pride crossed the boundary of good taste? Should the coverage, especially on BBC focus more on the great achievers and less on the home achievers? Did Jessica Ennis really put Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps achievements in the shade as suggested on Sky News last night? Are the British Media bad winners?

by anotherworldofpain Mon 06 Aug 2012, 10:02 pm

Commonwealth! That died when the Swiss got their own queue at Heathrow!

by **owen10ozzy** Mon 06 Aug 2012, 10:04 pm

Ok I could go into another article about the % of coverage that all sports have received so far across the BBC...I could also point to the amount of times we have seen heats, finals, interviews, profiles etc etc on athletes who are not British...the answer by the way is alot...but it seems you aren't really taking point of that...

You keep announcing that the coverage merely consists of 'self righteous tub pumping' & 'self congratulatory orgy' that you claim is going on at the BBC but I just can't see it. Yes we point out our success...yes we continue to talk about the fact we are on to succeed our best ever medal tally etc etc...but that is merely a representation of national pride and nothing more...

The BBC coverage i.e. BBC 1, 2 & 3 is for viewers within the UK..and those viewers want to watch British athletes and hear about British success. For those who wish to see how other countries are getting on they can access the red button...or go online where their is 23 dedicated channels to watch every sport and almost every bit of action...British or not...

Rather than continue to rant about a subject which you clearly have an agenda with & which you are showing complete bias to why don't you explain to me what you expect to see on the BBC...?

How should they go about covering these games in this Global & non nationalistic bias way which you seemingly wish to see?

I have watched every olympic games since Atlanta in 1996 and this has been by far not only the best covered but probably least biased coverage of any games...

If you look at any other country which is covering the games you will notice a certain trend...and that trend is to show & celebrate the success of the nation with which the channel is associated in....i.e NBC heavily features and shows US Success...Chanel + in france heavily feature the French and their success....it is the way it has and always will be done....

by mystiroakey Mon 06 Aug 2012, 10:04 pm

shows how much you know about the world then- very little

by R!skysports Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:09 am

Guys, this is getting a little boring, maybe stop feeding the thread - as he seems to just have a huge chip on the shoulder, and that is not scheduled to be in the games until 2016..

by ChequeredJersey Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:11 am

With the question being asked, shouldn't think thread be a poll, really?

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:16 am

No is more about discussion than merely a mechanism for large numbers of British fans to self-adjudicate by voting themselves into the right.

I can see in some way that is a lot of good feeling from the Olympics and people get motivated and inspired and maybe its some good thing, because normally London especially can be quite self-defeatest and negative so if it makes a good mood for the society then it can be tolerated in that context. So even though it's a little like a parent sighing in a resigned and loving way while their children witter on then it can pass on that context. It's just a shame I think that the media couldn't rise to an olympic level and embrace the idea about participation. Goodness knowing that we would hear enough about "participating" if fewer golds were won!

by ChequeredJersey Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:25 am

Except you are ignoring the fact that the BBC at least are showing all participation, and many of the headline events per say have not included GB at all. I will admit that in the first few days the phrase "and GB's ____ is out of the _____. but didn't s/he do well? A good performance" was very annoying but that was down to specific commentators (I'm looking at you Balding) and also seems to have stopped. Being proud of where we are on the leader board at our own Olympics is not chest beating. If we were focussing on British athletes who only came 10th etc and ignoring the rest it would be parochial but thankfully w havent needed to test the BBC on that one

by TopHat24/7 Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:25 am

anotherworldofpain wrote:Thank you to Felix for taking the point seriously and make the good rebuttal.

Allow me to refute your points.

Firstly, before the games begin during the opening ceremony we hear that the Olympic values (not BRITISH values) are about not winning, but how you conduct yourself during the games.

Now when this schpiel was being touted I doubt very much that the kind of conduct they had in mind to uphold the olympic ideal by representation was a fetid self congratulatory orgy of nationalism and an hourly chest thumping update on where "Team GB" were on the medals table.

Secondly, the BBC may stand for BRITISH BROADCASTING COMPANY, but they collect and spend the tax payers money according to a contract know as the Charter and Agreement of which you might want to review section 10 "Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK" (note the use of UK and not Britain firstly and also the concepts held within). Now if bringing the UK to the world entails ellucidating a nation of unsporting self righteous tub thumping nationalists during the olympics then that is a sad throw back to some dusty colonialist dogma that was, so the rest of the world thought, buried with the ashes of the empire. But perhaps we've all been mistaken.

This is remarkably better written than any other post I've seen of yours AWOP...?? chin

Also, re your UK vs GB point, UK is short for our country/state's full legal title of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In the Olympics Northern Ireland competes with Eire are Ireland therefore it is not team UK but team Great Britain which refers to the group of member countries - England, Scotland and Wales.

by ChequeredJersey Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:27 am

Not true, TopHat, several NI athletes have competed for us this Olympics

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:27 am

Exactly my point. GB is not the same as UK and the money collected by the BBC is spend under the charter encompassing the UK, not GB so to focus on GB is a violation of tax payer contract.

Aside from which, such an international media should behave with some decorum is my mind.

Thankyou for compliment my English! I put a lot of effort in to it!

by TopHat24/7 Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:29 am

anotherworldofpain wrote:No is more about discussion than merely a mechanism for large numbers of British fans to self-adjudicate by voting themselves into the right.

eh?

by super_realist Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:30 am

Christ, have we got another chippy bitter paddy again?

by TopHat24/7 Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:30 am

ChequeredJersey wrote:Not true, TopHat, several NI athletes have competed for us this Olympics

Really? I thought NI were, for the most part, lumped in with Eire (being quite controversial). But I do know of some NI athletes now you mention it. Maybe they are given a choice? Or have to show some kind of parental link to GB?

by SirJohnnyEnglish Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:33 am

Its actually Team Great Britain and Northern Ireland but dropped to Team GB. Was discussed on another thread the other day. Northern Irish athletes can make the decision on who they represent

by ChequeredJersey Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:34 am

AWOP is officially, correct me if I get think wrong, a New Zealander in the UK of either Japanese or Pacific Background. Even if he isn't who he says he is, which is utterly irrelevant really, his previous posts make me severely doubt he is Irish

by SirJohnnyEnglish Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:34 am

super_realist wrote:Christ, have we got another chippy bitter paddy again?

What makes you think he is Irish?

by TopHat24/7 Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:34 am

Under the terms of a long-standing settlement between the BOA and the Olympic Council of Ireland, athletes from Northern Ireland can elect to represent either Britain or Ireland at the Olympics, as Northern Irish people are legally entitled to dual citizenship.

by super_realist Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:35 am

It's usually the norn irish who moan about the nomenclature of GB/UK/GB&NI etc

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:36 am

Nice that the national broadcaster keep dropping the "...and Northern Ireland" then. That must make those atheletes decision just a bit easier!

Is this reflective of the generally Anglocentric attitudes at the BBC? who have already been criticised in the past for this sort of thing and for viewing "GB" rather than as a union, but as a partnership with England being the senior partner? I know there is certainly a lot of noise on other forums about whether GTSQ is an appropriate anthem!

by ChequeredJersey Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:38 am

That's not because it's inappropriate, AWOP. It's because it sucks as a song

by super_realist Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:39 am

Why are people so petty, it's just a team name and it's just an anthem. Who cares?

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:41 am

Heh! So you would not care if the team was called "Team Wales" because they chose "Team Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland" but dropped the bit after Wales for marketing reasons? If the BBC headquarters were in Cardiff and occupied 90% of programming on local events and the Welsh Assembly? and the "just an anthem" was Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau?

by SirJohnnyEnglish Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:43 am

Super Realist,

I'd say they have the right to discuss it (moan as you call it) considering their history

AWOP,

If you followed the Olympic section here you would have seen the discussion last week. The Northern Irish agreed to drop it to Team GB. Rolls of the toungue a hell of a lot easier doesn't it?

by super_realist Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:43 am

Thats just silly.

If you are from NI, Eng, Scot or Wales you are considered British, and the national anthem of Britain is GSTQ.

I can't believe someone cares so much about something so trivial. Grow up. Typical of the NOrn Irns.

by TopHat24/7 Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:44 am

Have lived in a few different places in the world and travelled in many more and can say with a great degree of certainty that the BBC is the most even-handed non-nationalistic national broadcaster I have ever seen.

You should see the cack they have in the States.

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:44 am

Did they get a vote on it, or were the "Northern Irish" who agreed to drop it represented by an Englishman in London?

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:45 am

super_realist wrote:Thats just silly.

If you are from NI, Eng, Scot or Wales you are considered British, and the national anthem of Britain is GSTQ.

I can't believe someone cares so much about something so trivial. Grow up. Typical of the NOrn Irns.

You might consider that, but perhaps not everybody in those countries shares you views realist.

by super_realist Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:45 am

Why so sensitive? Why do you care?

Anyway it isn't an opinion, it's a fact. It says so on your passport.
If they don't like it they don't have to compete, quite frankly, I don't think we'd be any worse without them.

by ChequeredJersey Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:48 am

Well Northern Ireland is sensitive because it has seen a lot of violence, from both sides, regarding what country it is actually a part of, so we can't really dismiss the people who live there as overly sensitive

by TopHat24/7 Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:49 am

super_realist wrote:Thats just silly.

If you are from NI, Eng, Scot or Wales you are considered British, and the national anthem of Britain is GSTQ.

I can't believe someone cares so much about something so trivial. Grow up. Typical of the NOrn Irns.

I can understand why non-English members of GB&NI don't value GSTQ as an anthem, doesn't bother me particularly as long as they don't get beligerant about it. Personally I'd like something more rousing ( heart

Jerusalem) but can't see it ever changing.

by super_realist Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:51 am

ChequeredJersey wrote:Well Northern Ireland is sensitive because it has seen a lot of violence, from both sides, regarding what country it is actually a part of, so we can't really dismiss the people who live there as overly sensitive

Apart from Scotland, I can't think of a country more pointless and bitter. HIstory is history, get over it and move on. Life is too short to dwell on the past.

Re: Anthems, there is only a couple that are decent. Germany, Italy, France etc, most are dirge.

by ChequeredJersey Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:56 am

Yeah but it's not exactly the distant past. Can't say I agree with your views here mate. In terms of Scotland and Wales where the conflict is fairly old and now racially less than relevant due to mixing blood, I think the past should not be an issue. People will have lost family members over NI here

by SirJohnnyEnglish Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:57 am

You can hold Irish citizenship being from the North. Hence their athletes compete for both Ireland/GB. So your factually incorrect Realist.

I havent seen much complaint about GSTQ as an anthem except a few scots. Its the British anthem AWOP and if you represent GB you should have to sing it. (Although Jerusalalem is a much better song in my opinion)

by ChequeredJersey Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:58 am

I think it's unfair that the UK gets an anthem as do all its constituents except England

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:59 am

There's a lot of Welsh people complain about it over on the rugby forum! That's all I know!

by **rodders** Tue 07 Aug 2012, 9:59 am

TopHat24/7 wrote:
ChequeredJersey wrote:Not true, TopHat, several NI athletes have competed for us this Olympics

Really? I thought NI were, for the most part, lumped in with Eire (being quite controversial). But I do know of some NI athletes now you mention it. Maybe they are given a choice? Or have to show some kind of parental link to GB?

3 of britains rowing Medalists were from NI, thanks for noticing Rolling Eyes

. There are a few NI athletes in some of the other teams such as cycling and Hockey.

The team is officially GB&NI but tends to get abreviated.

People in NI can represent either Ireland or GB.

Off the top of my head a number of the Irish boxers are from NI, as was one of the female triathathaletes and at least one Judo contendor. It tends to come down to the sport as much as the athletes religious or political persusion. Many sports are administered on an all Ireland basis.

Nice thread AWOP guinness

.....

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:01 am

I see someone complain about the thread! Is it not more repsonsible just to debate the topic?

by super_realist Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:02 am

ChequeredJersey wrote:I think it's unfair that the UK gets an anthem as do all its constituents except England

Why would you want one. Flower of Scotland is ghastly.

by **rodders** Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:07 am

super_realist wrote:Thats just silly.

If you are from NI, Eng, Scot or Wales you are considered British, and the national anthem of Britain is GSTQ.

I can't believe someone cares so much about something so trivial. Grow up. Typical of the NOrn Irns.

There is a staggering amount of ignorance in that post.

Perhaps you should concentrate on posting on topics you have some level of knowledge on?

by super_realist Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:10 am

Rodders, it was deliberately provacative, but I genuinely believe that there is a great deal of childishness amongst the smaller union countries.

THey know they are representing GB (&NI) in sporting events like the Olympics, so they should just accept it and get involved or protest by being absent.

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:16 am

The "smaller union countries", incredible! I have said before that an unfortunate minority of vocal English people seem to see the "union" as a partnership where England is the senior partner, reflected by the fact that the group anthem is English. Just my observation!

by super_realist Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:17 am

AWAP, I'm scottish, and it's a fact that SCotland, Wales and NI are the smaller union countries.

I really can't see why anyone cares about an anthem or the name of the team. If you don't want to be part of the team no one is forcing them to partake or make them sing the anthem.

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:22 am

Smaller by population, but post banking decline probably the most valuable assets in the UK will belong to Scotland within a 5 year time frame. I sometimes struggle to see what will become of England unless they tear away from Europe immediately.

by SirJohnnyEnglish Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:24 am

Surely thats a discussion for another thread AWOP

by **rodders** Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:25 am

Super do you actually know anything about this?

Look NI athletes are entitled to represent either team. Each athlete makes their descision based on their sport, who they have a chance of selection for and yes sometimes political allegience. That is their right and individual choice.

I need to stress though that there are Unionist/protestant athletes representing Ireland so that the latter point doesn't get over emphasised. Many athletes have represented both in different competitions.

NI is not the same as Scotland or Wales. No NI athlete who choses to represent Team GB has a problem with the anthem. Have you examples of this?

by super_realist Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:25 am

anotherworldofpain wrote:Smaller by population, but post banking decline probably the most valuable assets in the UK will belong to Scotland within a 5 year time frame. I sometimes struggle to see what will become of England unless they tear away from Europe immediately.

Really? What makes you think that? Not sure what valuable assets are in Scotland. I doubt they could survive independence and certainly hope it never comes to fruition.

by anotherworldofpain Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:29 am

Interesting, if you don't know about Scottish assets perhaps do some study and come back to the discussion better educated then!. Interesting you claim to be Scottish but refer to Scottish as "them"

by mystiroakey Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:31 am

SR does know alot about this Rodders but holds strong views against independance-And he is spot on. We are stronger together.

Offcourse I am also 100% in favour of giving NI citizens the choice of who they represent as well though, maybe that point was slightly wrong or wrongly put

by mystiroakey Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:32 am

AWOP the oil fields will be gone soon enough, and no credit rating will acknowledge them either- Scotlands debt would straight away go through the roof in indepenadance due to interset rates doubling!. SR works in oil mate he probally knows alot more about it that you do!

by SirJohnnyEnglish Tue 07 Aug 2012, 10:37 am

Mysti,

Realist may know alot about the (Scottish) independance argument but thats not what the conversation is about? SR just seems to be generalising the whole population of Northern Ireland as moaners and Brits which seems pretty insensitive

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