SPORTO! 1/1/2012 - To London 2012, and waking up

“When a man is tired of London he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
Samuel Johnson

Of course, when Dr. Johnson uttered that immortal motto for Britain’s capital city, it was at a time of no Oyster cards, bendy buses, chuggers, tourists, smog and protesters on St. Paul’s.  There was certainly no Olympic Games to consider: Johnson passed away some hundred years before Baron Pierre de Coubertin, upon visiting the Olympian Games of the Wenlock Olympian Society (in Shropshire no less – this Olympic lark isn’t all about them Londoners), formed the International Olympic Committee which in turn became the fuselage of what is the modern Olympic movement.

Right now, as we celebrate New Year’s Day in Britain with London 2012 being pummeled at us from all angles there seems to be a breed of tiredness Dr. Johnson so derided settling in.  But this much is certain – and the writer can promise you this now – in December, there will be a road somewhere with an outdated billboard.  It will be of an Olympic sponsor’s product and carry Wolff Olins’ much-discussed logo somewhere in the corner.  The reader will see that logo and have a flood of memories enter the consciousness – in an instant – before they realise it’s all over.

The London Olympics may have felt like a seven year period of dress and make-up; of stage construction and conjecture.  But by the time 10 September comes round there will be a hole in the public consciousness, an ache.  A realisation that something has gone, in the most part forever.  Not every country gets to stage an event of the size and importance of the Olympic Games.  And be clear too, this is once in a lifetime stuff.  If you have kids under twelve, they may be fortunate to see another Games on these isles in their lifetime – maybe.

For these reasons alone, shouldn’t we just relax and embrace this incredible opportunity to see our country, and our talent showcased on a stage that simply cannot be replicated?  These are amongst the most challenging financial times the world has ever seen – and the world is changing at a speed few can fathom.  The host country of the next Summer Olympics – Brazil – have just overtaken Britain in the financial stakes.  Others will follow sooner than we realise.  So do we just climb up the proverbial stairs to Bedfordshire and accept we’re not very good?  Or do we, in 2012, realise that in fact we are a great country – not without problems, or issues – but fortunate to have some the greatest cities, brains, capabilities and history in the world.

‘The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.’
Baron Pierre de Coubertin

In 2012, London stages its third Olympic Games – the first city in history to achieve the feat.

We were told to cower after the largesse of Beijing in 2008, but British architects, engineers and builders have delivered venues like the Velodrome, the Aquatics Centre and the Olympic Stadium which are all spectacular examples of form and function.  Each are already iconic and unlike many venues in previous host cities have their future mapped out.  When people like Ian Thorpe choose to come out of retirement, and so threaten their hard-earned legacy, to complete in London you know that this hasn’t been another case of “Useless Brits late delivering… Again.”

Worth throwing in for the naysayers (more on you later) too that large sectors of that huge construction workforce in Stratford are Brits – all gainfully employed and contributing.

When naysayers and ‘haters’ are extrapolated for a moment, there is a British public desperate to not only see the Games start but for our team, Team GB, put on a great show.  Far from Football being the nation’s sport, the ticket sale process has underlined just how much we love swimming and cycling.  The memories of SPOTY’s indiscretions will soon be forgotten as the likes of Adlington, Reade, Payne and Shaw will have us at the edge of our seats, and embarrass a fair few folks in the process. 

Note too that this is the Olympics – we compete as Great Britain.  No ‘In-ger-land’ mentality and zeitgeist here.  Definitely no need for ghastly Umbro clobber filling our streets along with Eau de Stella…

One of the world’s few elite broadcasters will deliver the games and once more demonstrate that the BBC is at its best on a global stage.  Again, all British talent powering what will be an incredible machine.  Television will be important for those who weren’t quite so lucky to snare tickets for the main event.  But to those people, I’d simply urge – from pure personal experience – do not give up the faith.  There will be plenty of opportunities between now and July.

Legacy has been the buzz word of the London Games, but it goes deeper than a kid doing track and field or getting a venue a new landlord.  If the world can see us at our best, then maybe – just maybe – we might just dare to believe in ourselves again.  These are, quite possibly, the most anticipated Olympic Games in the history of the modern era.  Some credence to Dr. Johnson’s immortal words.

Now, back to those naysayers.  Yes, the Olympic Games has cost a lot of money, and there are arguably many other things we could be doing than staging a festival of sport in times of austerity.  And even beyond the money issue, there is the point around the inconvenience to London, and to Britons who do not care for the event.  There is a desire to respond in kind by simply saying that you can’t please everyone.  To be negative and derisory toward their negativity.

I won’t.  Simply because, after all that has happened in recent years – in fact in all that has happened since the last time we staged an Olympic Games in 1948, isn’t it time to remind the world who we are?  To show our children that we are not a useless, sickly nation.  To not simply shrug our shoulders and utter ‘that’s why the other people are doing better than us.’  We are a magnificent country, with flaws and blemishes that forever push us to think harder and try to be better.  On some occasions we fail, but on many others we triumph.  Whether that’s old empire Bulldog Spirit, or the postmodern byproduct of cultural fusion - either way when we are together, as one, we stir and inspire.  We succeed.

To 2012.  To London.  Citius, Altius, Fortius.

To read some of my previous blogs on London 2012, visit the boxset.

SPORTO! // F1’s fans let the truth on the BBC whizz by

I’ll start this piece by saying that I am a long-time F1 fan.  Not quite a hard-core devotee but I remember where I was the day the Senna died: I was in my living room with my Dad watching the race on TV.

For years, F1 has enjoyed a prime spot on the terrestrial schedules of British television.  Between the long tenure of the BBC and the interim spots held by ITV, fans have got their fix season-in, season-out.  This however changes from 2012, following the announcement that Sky will become lead broadcaster of the championship, showing every race uninterrupted.  In turn, the BBC retain partial live rights (including screening the British and Monaco Grand Prix) with other races available in highlight form.  It is the first time in the UK that motor sport’s premier event goes all-in with a subscription broadcaster.

Unsurprisingly, there has been an outcry and most of the vitriol has been aimed at the Beeb.  It has become clear, following the Coalition Government’s election last year that the corporation would be targeted heavily for budget cuts and so that has proved.  Right now, all departments are facing belt-tightening and sport in particular is under the microscope.  As the state broadcaster, the BBC has a duty to produce and transmit many of the ‘crown jewels’ including the Olympics, the football World Cup and the Grand National.  F1 by comparison is not a crown jewel sport, which means it was always a prime target for cut-backs.  Reports suggest the corporation had to choose between renewing Wimbledon (again, another crown jewel) or committing to F1.  They plumped for SW19 and the rest is the hysteria playing out in front of us now.

The outcry of many F1 “fans” has felt grossly disproportionate, lacking not only perspective but actually presenting them and their sport in rather poor taste.  Scanning the #F1 tag on Twitter on Friday, one was left thinking the fan base was arrogant in some of their commentary.  Yet, the hypocrisy in many of their Tweets belies the fact that the BBC possibly made the right decision.

Firstly, the sport isn’t disappearing entirely from free-to-air broadcast.  The Beeb still have it for a couple of seasons and there is the possibility of continuing; if they don’t, it’s certain one of the other terrestrial networks will snap the rights up.  What the fans consistently fail to acknowledge is the fact that covering F1 in the way the BBC have costs a lot of money.  The production values are high (this author concurs with Murray Walker’s recent sentiments that the current edition of F1 is not just the best ever seen in Britain but probably the world) and with personnel and travel costs, not forgetting the technology needed to provide multi-platform output, the real value of committing to what is largely a niche sport is questionable.

Secondly, F1 under the stewardship of Bernie Ecclestone have long made it clear that sport is about making money.  Indeed it is less ‘sport’, more ‘product.’  The cost of watching races live has long been regarded as excessive yet fans – many of whom are the same fans up in arms over the loss of free viewing -  continue to pay the money for tickets and merchandise.  F1 knows it is a commodity for a demographic that possesses disposable income; the profiling is clear.  Dear Bernie wouldn’t have blinked an eyelid over the loss of viewers versus the cumulative money generated from UK television rights.  Buoyed by the expansion of the sport in emerging markets like India, Korea and the Middle East it won’t be long before the powerbase of F1, mainland Europe, is jettisoned for new money.  F1 is run by skilled politicians who can present all the right arguments.  The numbers didn’t add up for the BBC for the right reasons – they did for Sky, and even in the face of antagonising sponsors, they did for the F1 teams.  That collective arrogance struck perfectly.

Finally, F1 is not the nation’s sport.  There is large support but that is still dwarfed by those who follow football, cricket and rugby.  Many dovetail into one-another, but a critical point here is this: kids can’t go and “play” F1 at the weekend.  Whilst it is a sport of imagination and fantasy, it is ultimately the pursuit of the few and not the many.  The upcoming Olympic Games in London bring into sharp focus the genuine value of athletic sport and the impact it can have on society.  It is perhaps for these reasons the BBC ultimately chose to trim its support of F1.

Sky will, as they always do, give the coverage an added sheen (how much better it will be than the BBC’s is questionable) and have made soothing noises on the eternal bugbear of F1 fans on commercial channels: the presence of ads between coverage.  One can only hope they do better than their failed one season venture in 2002.

Going back to the point on arrogance, the “fans” showed their colours by attacking the corporation and its commitment to other sports and broader output; even anchorman Jake Humphrey came in for ferocious stick for making a couple of thoughtful comments in the slipstream of the announcement.  The outcry imbued a public completely divorced from reality.

The BBC does not exist for F1.  In the eyes of many of its commercial and political rivals, the BBC has no right chasing deals for massive sports packages.  Some would have them covering no sport at all.  It was this government that put the squeeze on the corporation to cut, yet the F1 supporters have no appetite to lobby Messrs Hunt and co.

They extol how unfair it is to simple folk who can’t afford to pay the Sky subscriptions, completely ignoring the fact that football fans haven’t been able to watch top flight games live on any terrestrial network for nearly 20 years.  Or that cricket fans haven’t seen a live, free-to-air, home Test match in 6 years.  The last time an away Test series was shown on the BBC was over 10 years ago.  When you add other sports such as rugby, tennis and athletics, F1 has had it extremely good.  In many ways, this day was always coming.