“Raw”
Sports is an important component of our daily news consumption. We are bombarded with special sports section pages, special sports news and programs highlighting the latest developments in the area. And an Indian victory is almost always played out across the front pages of newspapers and headlines of television news. Sports, especially cricket, has always been a popular genre of news in our country. However, what was earlier an occasional front page headline has rapidly become an ongoing trend where sports dominate the front pages of papers and prime-time television news.
our national passion for cricket (roughly 80% of sports coverage is focused on cricket) is also reflected in the media.
One explanation to the priority media space given to sports is that today a game such as cricket is no longer just another sports or even entertainment. It’s a mega advertisement affair and is big business. It is glamorous, sees the participation of high-profile celebrities, and is even connected to politics and international relations.
In India, cricket is inspirational and allows people to get involved. Riding on this popularity, newspapers and television news channels are using sports as front page or prime time hooks. They realize that today, sports is the only feel-good news genre that works with readers or viewers and advertisers.
There was a time when soccer was more popular as a sport in India. History holds some glorious moments that fill all Indians with pride even today. We have some golden memories associated with Indian soccer, as we became the first Asian nation to reach the Olympic football semi-final in 1956.
India (chiefly comprising its Bengal state-team members), finished fourth in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics defeating an English Australia 4-2 in the quarter-finals. Prior to that India had qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, but failed to participate due to FIFA’s demand for all players to wear boots.
The popularity of cricket as a game.
