Sports Personality of the Year.

[rachyuk]

I notice that BBC1/2 (UK TV channels) are running Sports Personality programme and public voting again.

How good would it be for a badminton player to be in the top 5!

[Laura]

I think most people would really struggle to name a single badminton player! I am just getting into badminton and find it exciting to watch - why are players so low profile?

[seanrachy]

Laura,

The answer is ...

1. There is no TV coverage.
2. The general public dont pay £10 to £40 to watch a match every week.

Therefore there is no opportunity for the players to be seen nor endorse products etc.

[george]

Why are English players so low profile? The answer is manyfold. The BA of E must shoulder some blame for inadequate marketing be it volume or style/method but I think the biggest reason is public perception. The public see badders as a garden sport with little TV coverage and low kudos.

Another reason which is perhaps a new thought is the nature of the people that play. They tend to be reserved and the middle to upper classes if I can use those terms. I feel that most players/administrators don't do enough to promote badminton or lobby the TV bosses. We can look at the massive success of badminton in Denmark which only has a population of just over 4 million. They have only been involved half the time we have (we invented the sport!) and yet the sport is massive rivalling football for top status! Unbelievable? Go and visit Denamark as I have many times and see for yourself.
In fact TV Sports personality - a certain lady called Camilla Martin won Denmarks award in 2000!!!

The last time we had a badminton player put up for this award was Gillian Gilks who was a muti event winner of All Englands albeit before the Chinese came onto the scene to completely dominate the ladies game. (with the exception of ladies singles - Camilla Martin is the only contender for any world class event who can beat them.)

I spoke on local radio last year about various events I was running involving exhibition matches with Rexy Mainaky and some of the top England players i.e. Nathan Robertson and Anthony Clark.
I have also brought Eng Hian and Flandi Limpele to Leicester with Rexy for exhibitions in an effort to raise the profile of the sport in this area.
The radio host was the coach/manager of leicester Riders basketball, Billy Mimms. He tried to suggest to his listeners that badminton was a garden sport (his words) and I strongly put him right on air!

I think poor results of England singles players esp. are also a reason. If we had the World no.1 singles players man or woman it would make a significant difference. We do well at mixed but singles is the event that has always captured the publics attention - look at Wimbledon. We do ok at mixed (bronze medal at last Olympics) but it has made virtually no difference to kudos and more importantly TV coverage.

The most important thing for the BA of E to achieve in this area is to get TV coverage. I thought that the Tv coverage during the Commonwealth Games was good. Esp. the way they looked at the sport in terms of scoring, the rackets, the shuttle, the National Badminton Centre, interviews with Rexy Mainaky, Kelly Morgan and Jo Goode. I particularly thought that Connie Huck (Blue Peter presenter) interviewing Simon Archer whilst engaged in a gentle rally (for Connie anyway!!!)came across very well.
Good results esp. singles will help but is not the main remedy. (we won the Commonwealth team gold for the umpteenth time in August!) Look at squash where we have the World no.1, (now he has defected from Scotland) several World class players and are also World team champions and yet squash has little coverage or appeal to the general public. Via the medium of TV the BA of E must try to educate the general public as to badminton's merits and try if it isn't an impossibilty to change the publics perception. Best of luck!!!
On a different but related matter, I hope that the BA of E will do everything in their powers to enable Eng Hian and Flandi Limpele (Indonesian former world no.1's in MD and currently residing in MK) to represent England/GB and then we will have genuine contenders for World Champs in May 03, all the Grand Prix events they enter and next Olympics 2004. We may even qualify for the Thomas Cup finals which we have failed to do for the last 2 times!

I think the public have forgotten (or were too young) that we used to have All England Champions even in ladies singles (Gillian Gilks was the last 1978)and in mixed as recently as 2 years ago Simon Archer & Jo Goode. Unfortunately we are not so strong and some of the other nations have overtaken us.

The other option is for the BA of E to persuade the national coach Rexy Mainaky (former World no.1, World champion, Olympic Champion)to come out of retirement and play for us. He has been resident now in UK for almost 2 years. Its a thought!

[dani5]

I think many people don't know any top players, because a lot of casual badminton players take the game too seriously and are very intense, putting other people off.