Whats going on here?

[Bonnet]

Morning all

first, this IS a rant, if you dont want to listen to me whine, then dont. nice little back button your browser there.

secondly, whilst reading the West Australian this morning, perusing the sports section i looked for any comment on the recent world cup event in France. there was at LEAST one AFL article on each page for the last 5 pages, two with no AFL (rugby instead), then another 5 with the WAFL. 10 out of 12 pages with AFL, whilst we have other major sporting events such as EURO 2004 being given 1.5 pages, 5 Pages back. this is dispicable. anyway i found what i was looking for, not happy about it. in the trivia section of the sports pages i found this.

Perth Cyclist Sam Hill finished fourth in the second round of the downhill world series in France on Sunday

that was all for our beloved cyclist in a WORLD CASS event, 4 lines hidden. no wonder no-one cares for mountainbiking, they dont even know about it. if it weren't for Farkin and other sites, then i would be clueless to the rest of the MTB'ing world.

oh well, thats that. just wondering if it the same all over australia with regards to newspapers.

ASH

 

[RCOH]

It is the same everywhere, I would eat my hat before the 'the telegraph' printed any mountain bike news, it is a footy, cricket & racing paper only. Hell, they only started covering surfing in the last 5 or so years.

The SMH would have more chance of covering moutain biking (but only marginally) & even then it would have to be a slow news day.

Bur we are fringe sport, so what can you do? There are heaps of other sports out there that as as little or less media coverage than us.

Support Aussie mags, not newspapers (for mtb news)

 

[DOM]

I feel your pain mate,

The Cairns Post used to print quite a bit of Mtb stuff ..

but only cause Jacob's managed to organise a World Championship in Cairns ..

 

[Wattsy]

yer, i agree i think its bulls**t of how much they accually show, i mean, this is a sport that requires 110% concertration, if your not with it, u lose. this is a sport that takes year of training to develop the bes skill, and to be competing for your country in the world cup when noone gives a shit bout u back home, kinda makes it pointless. i mean, did rennie get a mention when he won the WC, i couldnt find anything. im accually in the progression of sending a letter to channel 10 becauz they are the main learder in sports news, and see if they could include stuff like this is sports tonight, i mean, 1/2 hours of afl rugby and golf is bullshit. excuse me while i go cry
[/rant]

 

[Bonnet]

Im not really angry about the little coverage, just somewhat bemused by the fact that it gets so little coverage, especially whne aussies are doing pretty good for themselves on the world stage, like rennie when he won his WC, still everyone i talk too who dosent follow MTB'ing (even riding buddies) dont know who he is. its not like it doesnt pull ratings, events like red bull rides woudnt be run if it didnt pull the viewers in. they dont have to cover it constantly, just a few times when our athletes excell in the races, maybe with a small 2 or 3 paragraph article with a race report. nothing to blow the budget of the newpaper, or take away from the AFL spotlight (god forbid).
i was also pretty amazed that there is no section in the monday papers for the state MTB series here in WA, most of the other sports get a mention, like fencing, water polo, road cycling, amature bowls etc with the weekend results, all on two pages before the sports section.
to be honest i believe the problem lies with the lack of knowledge about our sport, and possibly our image of being reckless bush destroyers, the papers dont want ot be seen as encouraging a bad stereotype for the greater good of a minority, namely us.

 

[naz]

one day we will prevail. headlining SMH but until i think we'll have to live with 4 lines

 

[Ryan]

If your state series isn't getting a mention in the Monday sports write-up it's more likely the fault of the event organisers than the newspaper.

For the sort of section you're talking about (basically bulk results with little if any writing about the event) the paper usually just runs results that are sent in to them by the various sporting organisations, they have neither the time nor resources to go out and gather the results from 15-20 'minor' sports on their own.

 

[S.]

Do you really want every 13yr old who's into the latest trendy thing to take up mountain biking because they see it plastered all over the place? Keep it low-key I say. Those kids are happy pretending to skate at the moment, leave them be!

 

[wombat]

just somewhat bemused by the fact that it gets so little coverage, especially whne aussies are doing pretty good for themselves on the world stage

Yeah, but how many of us knew that the karting world champ was an Australian for 5 years straight? (note: that figure might not be accurate, it may only have been 4 years).

 

[Bonnet]

I HAVE A DREAM!

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all sports men and women are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former sports people and the sons of former newspaper editors will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Western Australia, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and sporting prowess.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the sports they play but by the level at which they play them.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Australia, with its vicious editors, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification of AFL; one day right there in Australia, little sports boys and sports girls will be able to join hands with little editor boys and editor girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the all sports shall be revealed, and all readers shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the News with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our newpapers into a beautiful symphony of sporting brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to ride together, to play together, to struggle together, to go to the olympics together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day from AFL dominance.

My apoligies to Martin Luther king- ASH

 

[iamcool]

usually one of the centeral coast (NSW) papers or sumwhere around there had coverage of the state races up there, i have seen it in a few papers with 2 pages, maybe more.

 

[hazman]

The Mercury down here has recently been running stories on ou greatest export, Sid Taberlay, including a couple of back page spreads with pictures, and they always run a story on each stage of Wildside MTB…

 

[MUNGUS]

the telegraph did print a big picture of a rider last year after the ourimbah state round. it was a full colour half page job in the rising stars section. so it does get in just not often.

 

[Daver]

the telegraph did print a big picture of a rider last year after the ourimbah state round. it was a full colour half page job in the rising stars section. so it does get in just not often.

and it just happened to be YOU... :wink:

 

[MUNGUS]

hahaha........yeah

 

[johnny]

the telegraph did print a big picture of a rider last year after the ourimbah state round. it was a full colour half page job in the rising stars section. so it does get in just not often.

Yo, RCOH. How's that hat tasting?

 

[armpit]

just you wait until too many people get into mtb, then well be fucked, crowds everywhere, red hill might end up like a beach, people cutting in and shit. if we have to sacrifice not having comprehensive coverage of mtb events for privacy then i am glad to make that trade.

 

[S.]

just you wait until too many people get into mtb, then well be fucked, crowds everywhere, red hill might end up like a beach, people cutting in and shit. if we have to sacrifice not having comprehensive coverage of mtb events for privacy then i am glad to make that trade.

Exactly... IMO it's the last thing we need.

 

[Superman]

i think that it might help if everyone wrote a letter to one TV channel.
just say that there isnt enough MTB coverage on TV.
ask questions like:
Do you know who Nathan Rennie is?
Do you know who Sam Hill is?
Do you know who Mick Hannah is?
Do you know who Tracey Hannah is?
Do you know who Lisa Matheson is?
Do you know when/where the 2004 national MTB championships were held?
and who other top Aussie pro riders are.
they need to know theres more to riding than road and track.
i reckon all up there is mere 3 hours solid MTB coverage.
But then how many hours of road cycling coverage are shown. 100+hrs definatly.
my 2c
PS i will think of more soon

 

[Bonnet]

just you wait until too many people get into mtb, then well be fucked, crowds everywhere, red hill might end up like a beach, people cutting in and shit. if we have to sacrifice not having comprehensive coverage of mtb events for privacy then i am glad to make that trade.

Exactly... IMO it's the last thing we need.

well in my opinion i dont want us to be seen as an elitest group, where only the 'old schoolers' get to ride their hills. thats like a young skater going to a skatepark and getting kicked off because its not his 'turf'. but this is a completley different argument, you cant have your cake and eat it as they say. you want cheaper MTB goods, which will come about by an increase in popularity and coverage of the sport, but you also want to keep it 'yours' and not have every hardcore kid on a MTB. a little organisation goes a long way, take the canadians for example, they have a huge base of riders and it shows in that they often have access to cheaper goods, and mountainbike parks (whistler etc). we have nothing close to that, that im aware of. see if we do, i havent got any idea they are there, maybe if there was more coverage and participation it would be much more common knowledge. i do understand the argument you put forth about not wanting it to be over popular, but its a very selfish thought if you ask me.
in regards to the papers publishing stuff on MTB's, it has to start somewhere, and it is good to see a gradual improvement.
Ryan- i realise now that it is the clubs responsibilty to notify the papers of the weekends results. gonna have to get onto that i think.