Field Theory: Sunday Bloody Sunday Newspaper
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When did women start reading the sports section in large numbers? ;)
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Alas as I don't have a TV, I saw none of it. I don't even know if the netball was on the telly in this country (England).
No mention of the huge turnout to see the semi-final in Canterbury. The figure I heard was that approx 4000 brave souls turned up to watch the game.
After reading about the support for the Cheeseheads, I am left wondering if NZRFU needs to start threatening to fine unions who don't get enough bums on seats, or better still ponder what are the real reasons that people aren't attending games.
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Points off to the first person to congratulate Canterbury on beating Hawke's Bay or to weep over Hawke's Bay's loss.
I can't wait for your topic in then (albeit unlikely) event that Wellington pull off a win on Saturday, No doubt there will be a fascinating game in the World Beach Frisbee series that grabs your attention.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport
Have a gander for womens sports covered in the Guardian online.
There's one way, way down near the bottom on a female squash player.
I'd say a ratio of about 1 story on female athletes to 100 on male athletes.
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When did women start reading the sports section in large numbers? ;)
About 1981. Or that's when I did anyway. I cut out the All Whites paper thing and had their photos on the inside of my wardrobe door. (Do I get points off for soccer, aka "football" as it now officially is?)
Although I agree with Hadyn, and played netball for, like, 12 or 13 years, to be frank, I'd still be more likely to read the coverage of the team-who-must-not-be-named first. And watch it too.
But that's because I'd rather play netball than watch it, and much much much rather watch rugby than play it. I do care about netball, support the players, can name 90% of the team and even feel mildly positive towards the sponsors (aren't you nice people Milo, National Bank and New World!), even if I don't watch the games. Whereas the rugby sponsors by their ubiquity and diversity become mildly to moderately irritating. (I'm talking about you, you rotating billboard things which distract from the games. But not you Weetbix, your general wheaty goodness for growing kids makes you OK)
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First up, thanks to Susan for emailing and pointing out that Kate Carpenter not Wai Taumaunu coached the Pulse, I was thinking of the almost as bad Shakers. I hate it when I trip in full charge.
I can't wait for your topic in then (albeit unlikely) event that Wellington pull off a win on Saturday, No doubt there will be a fascinating game in the World Beach Frisbee series that grabs your attention.
Oooo frisbee!
But Don, why would I write a post about (fairly predictable) local rugby semi finals when there was an international sports match on? It was kind of my point.
When did women start reading the sports section in large numbers? ;)
Which is also my point. It's assumed that women will be interested in women's sport while everybody will be interested in men's sport.
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...and even feel mildly positive towards the sponsors (aren't you nice people Milo, National Bank and New World!)
If you have a listen to the Dropkicks commentary (and I recommend you do!) you here us bitch about New World's decision to paint the court red and white, give red and white inflatable bangy things to the crowd and generally fill the stadium with the colours of the opposing team!
Dumbest idea by a sponsor ever.
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Oh, Hadyn, welcome to my world.
Ive been blathering on about this to anyone who will listen for years. Girls' sports just don't rate a mention. In fact, if you aren't men playing cricket, rugby, or league, you are pretty lucky to get one at all.
Having said that, with the exception of the Silver Ferns, and the wonderful Black Ferns, I never watch women's sport. Because as a sports fan, I like to watch good sport, and unfortunately, it's not always.
The WNBA is amazing, but the Tall Ferns? Not that good. I'd rather watch the Breakers (who are having an amazing season, thus far, by the way).
It's a vicious cycle, because the sports won't get better without coaches, administrators, and facilities, and for that they need funding, and sponsorship. And they won't get that without coverage.
Sport is one of the areas where it is still OK to overtly discriminate against women. They don't get the coverage, the funding (although Title IX has done a lot to address that in the US), and it is ok to focus on a woman's looks rather than her talent and skill.
I don't know what you do about it, but putting women's sport on the front page when it is good and topical would be a start.
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You think NZ papers don't cover netball? Look at the coverage of the sport in one UK national paper over the past year:
http://browse.guardian.co.uk/search/Sport?search=netball&sitesearch-radio=Sport&go-guardian=SearchNone at all?
Outside NZ, Aussie and maybe Jamaica it's an amateur minority sport. Which is great for NZ because there will always be one game where we're more or less guaranteed world champions.
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Lx,
One thing the Aussies consistently beat us at is media coverage and water-cooler discussion of women's sport. It's REALLY noticeable.
I was told (some time ago so correct me if this isn't accurate) by a former Black Fern that even though much of the funding isn't earmarked for either men's or women's rugby, by far the bulk of it goes to the guys - right down to the All Blacks getting a fresh jersey every time they came off the field while the Black Ferns got two for their entire World Cup campaign. Which they won, in spite of having to run on in wet jerseys that hadn't dried from being hand-washed in the hotel handbasin after the previous day's game.
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Which is great for NZ because there will always be one game where we're more or less guaranteed world champions.
Except for the 8 times we haven't won it, you mean? :)
And I take your point, it is a minority sport on the world stage. As, it could be said, is rugby.
Netball is one of the top 5 sports played in New Zealand, and certainly the top women's sport (although it only just beats out golf). Shouldn't that mean it gets coverage? Especially when it's an international?
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right down to the All Blacks getting a fresh jersey every time they came off the field while the Black Ferns got two for their entire World Cup campaign. Which they won, in spite of having to run on in wet jerseys that hadn't dried from being hand-washed in the hotel handbasin after the previous day's game.
And the netballers played a three-test series in a week! And a world cup over 8 days! (or thereabouts).
Netball is one of the top 5 sports played in New Zealand, and certainly the top women's sport (although it only just beats out golf).
it's ok, golf isn't a sport.
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Jo S,
When did women start reading the sports section in large numbers? ;)
Dude. <grin>
The only reason it isn't the section I read first is that my boyfriend has longer arms than I do .... -
When did women start reading the sports section in large numbers? ;)
Um... when did Chris Cairns start playing cricket?
During the game Amy mentioned how the players shouldn't be allowed ponytails because they hurt if whipped about, especially if they are plaited.
What we used to call a Dutch plait (normal pony-tail, then plaited) is the most lethal of weapons. Like a knotted rope to the face. Casey's unusual double plaits were down the sides of her head, and you just can't get the same swing up like that.
Irene van Dyk is a fantastic netballer and may be one of our greatest sports people of all time. But she is not a goal attack!
F'k'n ay.
Stiil, beats talking about the cricket.
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Hadyn, perhaps there is a bright side to this. The Sunday papers are even-handed in that they provide skewed and unbalanced coverage of all topics, including sport.
I was playing Volleyball at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin on Wednesday (the court was right next to one of the doors into the arena where the netball was being played). At the time I was ruing not having a ticket (we did try to hijack the hospo carts going into the dressing room at one stage -- for the team access not the food of course). In the end it was an extremely fun game of volleyball (you know it's good when people actually forget about keeping score), and a pretty miss-able netball match.
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Stiil, beats talking about the cricket.
The lady makes an excellent point.
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Casey's unusual double plaits were down the sides of her head, and you just can't get the same swing up like that.
Casey's entire body is a weapon on the court. I have a feeling she uses them like a ninja with two swords. Deft little flicks of the head creating eye-irritation without the ref seeing anything.
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Stiil, beats talking about the cricket.
The lady makes an excellent point.
Well I can tell you that you will love Field Theory over summer when there will be little to no talk of cricket.
But maybe more about that Frisbee stuff Don's into :)
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The female / male thing is a red herring.
Face it, netball is just a dreadful sport to watch. Players imprisoned in certain sections of the court, Subbuteo like restrictions on how far they can move with the ball, and way too much whistle.
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Players imprisoned in certain sections of the court, Subbuteo like restrictions on how far they can move with the ball
I thought, ah, sport was all about sitting down, thinking up the most contrary rule you can think of and then implementing it.
My random selection
*Not being able to throw the ball in the direction you're aiming to move
*Only being able to move with the ball if you're bouncing it off the ground
*Only being able to take a good tactical position in relation to the other team (ie, nearer the goal) if you're in possession of the ball.
*Discover a slow, pointless, but hilarious looking method of moving through the water, and then make it into a discipline. -
Face it, netball is just a dreadful sport to watch. Players imprisoned in certain sections of the court, Subbuteo like restrictions on how far they can move with the ball, and way too much whistle.
I somewhat concur. I realise that the netballers are tremendously good at what they do, but as far as I can tell the referees spend more time blowing the whistle than not, and the players seem to ignore whistles half the time.
As a referee of a different sport, to me the whistle means "ah hello players, look at me, stop what you're doing, that's not how you play XXXX [insert sport name here]". Not "oh shit sorry, I had my whistle in my mouth and accidentally breathed, keep on playing netball".
And any sport that discourages a Phil Jones type shot from your own side of halfway to beat the buzzer and bring the crowd to their feet... c'mon.
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And any sport that discourages a Phil Jones type shot from your own side of halfway to beat the buzzer and bring the crowd to their feet... c'mon.
Netball has that. See Donna Loffhagen in the 1999 World Championship final.
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Face it, netball is just a dreadful sport to watch. Players imprisoned in certain sections of the court, Subbuteo like restrictions on how far they can move with the ball, and way too much whistle.
Jeez LB you must hate rugby
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So, in my original post I deleted my rant about netball as a spectator sport (frankly women's hockey, football, cricket are all far more entertaining). But I can't let this go without comment:
And the netballers played a three-test series in a week! And a world cup over 8 days! (or thereabouts).
That's because the rules of the game are to stop whenever you get the friggin ball and only run around in a little area of the court. Shesh, no wonder they have the energy left over for more games.
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Netball has that. See Donna Loffhagen in the 1999 World Championship final.
I thought you couldn't shoot until you were in the bottom third. Or is it that you only can't pass through a third of the court, but shooting is fine?
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