Blog: Ace

Why does the BBC think we are interested in the FA Cup?

I am sitting here at home on one of those afternoons which is a more or less a right off. The weather is blowing a gale, the rain is lashing down, there are engineering works on the underground and I suspect the traffic is gridlock round the Hammersmith flyover. So its feet up - guilt free cos I have done a bit down the gym - and lets see whats on the TV.
Blow me down its a Railway side v Mansfield. And after 5 minutes you can tell that its more or less kick and rush v hump and lump. Diabolical fare. And yet there are the BBC in all its glory with Mark Lawrenson and Carlton Palmer and God knows how many cameras and OB trucks to cover the sort of game you could see down the park. All in the name of the glamour of the FA Cup.

Could I send a note out to the schedulers or planners or whoever it is who is Head of Sport at the BBC that as a passionate sports fan and footie fan I am not the least bit interested in this rubbish. But if I was - in other words if I was a Harrowgate Railway fan or Mansfield fan I am sure that someone will be recording is on a camcorder somewhere and it will be available on a web site. But that is the level it is. It is not high quality sport - which is all the BBC should be interested in. And the FA CUP is not glamorous. The Premier League is - the European Cup is - but not this.

There is a mantra or there has been a mantra that sport is all about inclusion. We get more people to play sport and therefore standards are bound to improve because the base is broader. Hmm what about inspiration. Early this morning I watched Arsenal play Aston Villa on the BBC and it was just fantastic to watch - the passing - the movement - the control. If I was lad that would make me want to play football in that way.

There must be so many other sporting events going on which the BBC could transmit how about the USA v Russia in the final of the Davis Cup. That's a final! There is decent cricket going on around the world - just invest some rights. Must be some Rugby or Motorsport or Athletics being performed at a high standard. Or better still how about some Italian or other European football.

Why the BBC thinks that this little non descript football should be of any interest other than the good folk of Harrowgate and Mansfield is beyond me and I think football and sporting fans also stuck in for the afternoon.

by Ace on 14:40 on 2nd December 2007