An unholy row has broken out concerning the gender of presenters used by the BBC for the World Cup. A writer (male) on a popular newspaper which sits to the right of centre in political terms has had the temerity to suggest that the apparent proliferation of women commentating on an all-male competition can only be credited to appearance rather than knowledge or competence.
Predictably the proverbial balloon, Me Too-powered, has gone up with accusations of sexism and the like. Accompanied by claims, justified, that sport, including contact sport like football or rugby, is no longer just for men and the amazing growth in female participation confirms that. And presenters like Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Hazel Irvine can more than hold their own with any male anchor.
So too can Suzi Perry. She fronts a star-studded BT Sport line-up with absolute confidence gained from considerable knowledge, experience and respect. Other presenters such as Matt Roberts on Eurosport certainly know their stuff but it is when TV tries to engage someone because of their celebrity status they come unstuck.
Melanie Sykes, of Boddington’s fame, was hired to spice up BTs first efforts at MotoGP? She is not without talent but was clearly out of her depth and didn’t survive. Mind you, she wasn’t helped by James Toseland’s remarkable haircut…
And Greenlight obviously thought that getting someone alongside Roberts to front their 2018 TT coverage was a good idea. As Suzi wasn’t available how about Jodie Kidd, described by Wikipedia as a model, television personality and race car driver. Fortunately, her script was kept simple and short and she did what she had to do competently. But what was the point?
Talking direct to camera, particularly on a live broadcast, is a difficult job. More so with the producer shouting down your earpiece. So full marks to those who do it well especially those who can mix knowledge with humour - James Whitham being my favourite.
Do we need ‘stars’ from other firmaments, male, female or transgender? Presentation is critical and professionals of the calibre of Craig Doyle, who really do their homework, are highly desirable if we are to raise our game. But we have a lot of talent, particularly racers who, unlike many sportsmen, can actually string more than two words together - Colin Edwards and Michael Laverty being two.
Eurosport's Charlie Hiscott - a racer from before all this was fields - is doing an outstanding job in WorldSBK, asking the tough questions and not caring what the egos think. Very Brundle...