It is amazing to me how the American media has avoided tennis. You had Maria winning her third GS mowing down her opponents yet coverage was scant. (I watched a ton of tennis the past two weeks--tennis channel and ESPN2) Maria is only the most recognizable female athlete on the planet but I guess that counts for nothing much. I mean the media spent as much time on Tiger Wood's victory in a ho hum run of the mill early season golf tournament rather than the first tennis GS of the year.
With SI and the media covering the Super Bowl with more depth than WWII coverage back when I really wonder if it is about sports or narrative.
The narrative that draws media interest follows the same pattern. The key ingredient is the "plight of the black athlete." The endless stream of "feelgood stories" of blacks overcoming dire economic circumstances and becoming sports heroes warms the cuckles of the media . Of course rags to riches stories that litter the landscape in tennis and boxing--ie two serbians in the tennis finals--isn't nearly as compelling to the media. The other narrative of course is the blacks are better storyline that has gripped the media like a vice for years now.
With the Super Bowl coverage onslaught and the overwhelming black presence despite two white QB's the media in general proves again that the white athlete just isn't worth the trouble. Even thought tennis is hugely popular these days setting attendance records all over the place the "tennis narrative" which features few blacks is thrown out. Hockey will understand.
With SI and the media covering the Super Bowl with more depth than WWII coverage back when I really wonder if it is about sports or narrative.
The narrative that draws media interest follows the same pattern. The key ingredient is the "plight of the black athlete." The endless stream of "feelgood stories" of blacks overcoming dire economic circumstances and becoming sports heroes warms the cuckles of the media . Of course rags to riches stories that litter the landscape in tennis and boxing--ie two serbians in the tennis finals--isn't nearly as compelling to the media. The other narrative of course is the blacks are better storyline that has gripped the media like a vice for years now.
With the Super Bowl coverage onslaught and the overwhelming black presence despite two white QB's the media in general proves again that the white athlete just isn't worth the trouble. Even thought tennis is hugely popular these days setting attendance records all over the place the "tennis narrative" which features few blacks is thrown out. Hockey will understand.
