We've all heard of "soccer moms."
But now we also have "soccer journalism."
Who reads newspaper stories about soccer--other than the players themselves or their families?
That's a question I'm posing to my hometown community newspaper, The (Rock Hill, S.C.) Herald in the aftermath of what I consider to be disproportionately (and mind numbing to many readers) heavy coverage of high school soccer games. I'm talking huge photos of soccer players doing their thing. I'm talking LONG stories (about high school soccer) that begin on page one and jump to the inside of the paper.
I mean, come on Herald! This is NASCAR and basketball and football country. People in Rock Hill (or pretty much anywhere in the U.S., for that matter) don't give diddly about a sport where people score points with their feet (or sometimes with their heads). Our pulses don't quicken to final game scores of 5-1, or 3-2 or 1-0.
Ditch the soccer coverage, Herald, and get back to what interests us.
Yes, people in Ecuador or Brazil or France love soccer. Very few people in the U.S. follow the sport at all.
Don't believe me? Take a person-on-the street survey in Rock Hill. Ask folks what they think about the "World Cup." Listen to their answers.
I rest my case.
(No intention here to slam the student soccer players. They give it their all on the field, I'm sure, and they're good at what they do--kicking a ball and running up and down the field, and up and down the field, and kicking the ball, and then getting a foul, and then running again and again...)
Let's kick the soccer coverage, Herald, and get back to what interests readers.
4 comments:
Saw you on Ed Henninger's blog and had to pop over and say hi to my old advisor! How the heck are you? Just wanted to say hi and I'll be reading ...
Hi Dr. T,
I don't ever read sports pages (Olympic time being the only exception because I love ice-skating), but based on what you are saying, I would have to agree. There should be more of a focus on the sports that matter most to our locals.
I'm glad that you let the paper know how you feel. Certainly you are not the only one and perhaps your editorial will encite other sports fans to do the same. Hopefully some good change will come out of it all.
Hi Melissa. I'm well. Have been throught a lot in the past year or so. Scroll through my blog (just keep hitting "Older Posts" at bottom of page till you get to about April 2008 and May 2008. Will let you know what happened to me.
Good to hear from you!
LT
Hello Amanda and thanks for commenting, even if you're not an avid sports page reader. I was just trying to "stir" some debate with my blog post about soccer and how The Herald is covering it.
Are there any soccer journalism lovers out there?
Guess we'll see.
Post a Comment