Football’s baffling sensitivity

According to The Guardian, football clubs – with Newcastle United at the fore – are surprise, surprise looking to make even more money and control what is written and said about them through banning reporters and providing in-house interviews with managers and players http://bit.ly/1gYCGj1.

Freedom of expression is not an ideology many club owners espouse. At St James’ Park, for example, when fans’ patience has reached breaking point (on average five times a season) extra stewards are recruited to ensure leaflets are not smuggled in or banners – which are neither defamatory or offensive – removed.

Why are football clubs so sensitive? Compared to most businesses they have a guaranteed income from television as well as a loyal customer base. If a manager described a performance as crap, there would not be a Ratneresque backlash. In fact his honesty might actually be admired.

This is not a criticism of the very good sports writers, but the amount of media coverage devoted to football is not a reflection of the revelations and insight it provides. For regional television, in particular, the resources tied up in covering manager’s pre-match press conferences has always had a detrimental impact on its ability to cover real news elsewhere.

And as for the Monday evening goals round up…