When sport becomes entertainment

Sport should be entertaining, of course it should, but after watching the razzmatazz of Sunday's spectacular Super Bowl won by the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles, I wonder if the line between sport and entertainment  is far too blurred for those who believe sport, at its essence, must remain as sport.

Super Bowl Sunday is a de-facto holiday in the States and everything about it screams over the top excess - from the hullabaloo of an entire week of pre-game events, wall to wall TV coverage, fighter jets flying low over the Stadium, a Super Bowl Halftime Show produced with all the glitz of a Vegas show, not to forget about the buzz about the ads!

Even the singing of “The Stars and Stripes” becomes a Hollywood epic with the obligatory images of face-painted fans and players with tears streaming down their faces, the Super Bowl is entertainment at its finest - visually, musically, athletically and all produced for maximum impact for a TV audience numbered in the billions all around the world.

A night to savour for Leitrim sports

THE LAST POINT

Leitrim Observer Unsung Hero Award winner Aisling Quinn, Overall winner Shane Mallon and Hall of Fame winner Patricia Griffin pictured with sponsors, officials and special guest Jonny Cooper at the Leitrim Sports Star Awards. (Back, from left) Declan Boyle, Joe Lowe, Cllr Enda McGloin, Cllr Paddy O'Rourke, Mary Quinn, Cllr Finola Armstrong Maguire, Cllr Sean McGowan. (Front) Aishling Quinn, Shane Mallon, LCC Cathaoirleach Cllr Ita Reynolds Flynn, Patricia Griffin & Jonny Cooper Picture: James Molloy

The Super Bowl is the zenith of the “entertainment sporting” world but imagine stopping a game mid-flow in Ireland to honour a record breaking achievement by an individual player! That  happened just last week when LeBron James set a new scoring record in the NBA with presentations and speeches on the floor - that would cause a riot if it happened here!

Now, I have absolutely no problem with any of that - far from it! Professional sport is big business and if creating an “experience” feeds into the American dream and pays a few bills, then I'm all for it. That's professional sport - the bills have to be paid and the best way of doing that is to increase exposure, advertising opportunities, etc, etc.

That payoff comes with the whole “Super Bowl Party” movement that takes over America each year when the big day rolls around. It is why the timeouts in the Super Bowl are longer and much more frequent and why you hear the phrase “advertising timeout” during the big game so that everyone gets a slice of the pie.

It's why players in professional American sports are required by contract, not requested, to perform media duties throughout the season leading to the frankly bizarre scenario where players have cameras and microphones thrust in their faces at their lockers  minutes after a game as those who pay for the “media rights” search for their pound of flesh.

As sport becomes ever more professionalised, the demands on players are growing and it is not confined to America sport - recall the grumbles from RTE and the national media when inter county players aren't available as much as they used to be thanks to a newly condensed inter-county season or the jibes about players only being available to speak whenever a new product was there to be launched.

I'm sure it is  somewhere in the contract the GAA have with RTE that players and managers have to be made available for interview and that's only the first step.

As professionalism creeps ever more in to all sports, the economic necessity to protect the sports ‘assets’, i.e. players, becomes ever more paramount. We'll suddenly hear how we need to protect the stars of the game much more to ensure the best players get to show their talents at the higher level meaning a David Clifford is inevitably treated better than say a Keith Beirne when it comes to protection from referees! 

Not much thought for player welfare

THE LAST POINT

It is already a rule in the NFL that quarter-backs can't be hit in the same way as everybody else because so much is invested in that one position! From that, it's not that much of a leap to the powers that be deciding we've got to ensure that the best teams meet each other at the top level more regularly so as  'grow the game'.

The trouble comes when that desire starts to interfere with the integrity of the sport, be it athletics, soccer, rugby, our own gaelic games or even tiddly-winks. It is not that long ago that one Olympic sport passed a rule over what sort of clothing female participants could wear - not to, as you might imagine, protect their modesty but rather to increase TV coverage of a minority sport.

American sports works on a franchise system where you buy your team from the League, pay your dues  and then rake in the money - if it sounds like a pyramid scheme, I wouldn't argue too much but it is a closed shop and that's what is coming down the line for all the major team sports .

That's where the much reviled European Super League came  from but if you think it is solely American sports or Soccer that thinks that way, well think again.

I'd imagine the Italian rugby community are looking over their shoulders at the increasing involvement of South African sides in European Club competition and unless the Six Nations becomes the Seven Nations, wait for the calls to replace Italy with the South Africans - all due to competitive concerns, of course,  and not the huge impact South Africa would have on the competitions' gates and TV revenue.

It's not just team sports who are suffering - athletics has introduced a “rankings” system to qualify for major championships where your performances, depending on where they are achieved, rack up points and points means places in the major events. There is still an entry standard but they've jacked those up so high that qualifying by that route is now the preserve of the exceptionally elite. I say exceptionally elite because anyone who worked their ass off for years to reach the Olympic Games are definitely elite.

The problem comes from TV companies - the same companies who complained over excessive injury time at the World Cup don't like having ten or 12 heats in the 100m - rather they like a compact programme with a few guaranteed stars with good stories to keep their schedules intact and ads revenue high.

Think those complaints haven't had an impact - just look at the fundamental changes in the false start rule in the last 20 years, all designed to speed programmes up and now some are talking about eliminating certain events because they aren't telegenic enough - the hammer, 10,000m and walks have to go but the pole vault & high jumps are considered TV gold.

Sport, at its most basic level, is all about competitive fairness - some will be stronger, faster or more talented but the basic tenet is that everyone plays by the same rules and is treated the same.  So while we marvel at the TV extravaganza that is the Super Bowl, spare a moment to consider where it is all going to lead.

Reading the tea-leaves from The Dome

by John Connolly, Sports Editor

Even in Gaelic games, there is plenty of talk of the “product” and unfortunately, down the line, that leads to the minnows like Leitrim losing out in the long run. Sport is entertainment, certainly, but it is also far more than that!

SPORT SHOWS ITS TRUE COLOURS IN DRUMSHANBO

Not sure if any words of mine could ever help alleviate the profound sadness in Drumshanbo right now after the far too sudden passing of young Ronan Moran last week.

I can't say I knew Ronan too well, saw him captain Allen Gaels to a Minor title three years ago and from chatting with Willie Donnellan, I know he was a genuinely personable young man, beloved by all who knew him and admired in his community - isn't that wonderful epitaph for someone taken from us far too soon.

Drumshanbo has had its fair share of real life traumas over the years but the way the entire local community reacted showed community spirit at its finest. 

The Allen Gaels club, no doubt deeply mourning the loss of their friend and player, organised stewarding for the wake at the family home and funeral. Leitrim manager Andy Moran called to the family home on Saturday to present Ronan's medals to his parents  while Drumshanbo AC immediately postponed their popular Tony McGowan Road Races (rescheduled for next Sunday) as the local community rallied around the Moran family.

As I said before, no words of mine can alleviate the loss felt by the Moran family but everyone at the Observer would like to offer our deepest sympathy to Ronan's parents John & Geraldine, brothers Kevin and Fergal, family and his many, many friends on their great loss. May Ronan Rest In Peace.