Arsenal and the Springboks: British media hypocrisy
I’m taking time off from the transfer window for a bit – after a while it all gets a bit repetitive, we work ourselves up over some dream signings, only to fall back to Earth by this time next week.
Today, I’m going to share some comment on the state of the British sports media – most of you will not be surprised to find it is not a pretty sight.
Some of you know while I reside in Australia, I lived in South Africa for 15 years. The sporting culture of the southern-tip reaches fever pitch in a number of codes, be it cricket, football (some still call it ’soccer’ there, alas) and Rugby Union.
It’s the latter I want to briefly focus on - though stick with me - it all has something to do with Arsenal and the Premier League.The British and Irish Lions are currently touring the Republic in a three Test match series, 12 years since the last tour in 1997, which the British Lions won.
The Springboks (South Africa’s national side and current World Champions) have reclaimed the bragging rights after going up 2-0 in the three match series with the last one still to play for.
A quick disclaimer: I am a big Springbok fan, but I will make an effort to be as objective as possible.
Both matches so far have been stunning spectacles to witness – close calls, come-from-behind wins, brilliant stadium atmosphere and high pressure tactics.
Yet one incident stands out in the British media circus – an eye-gouge from Springbok flanker Schalk Burger.
You can view the incident here - what Burger did was inexcusable and I’m not standing up for it one bit.
The Springbok coach, however, did – Peter de Villiers defended his player, saying that it’s all part of the game.’
The British media swooped like a fish hawk to a lake.
Of course eye-gouging is an appalling, unsporting thing to do. Burger has since been suspended for eight weeks and his reputation suitably tarnished.
But what really gets me is the media’s consistency in routing out the ‘Johnny-foreigner threat’ while covering up its own mess.
How often have we heard Wenger lambasted for ‘whingeing’, defending his ‘lightweight Arsenal who don’t like it up ‘em’?
How often have the media come to the defence of certain Birmingham players who break an Arsenal player’s leg in two places? How often have their managers come to their defence, publicised through an unquestioning media?
It doesn’t help Arsenal’s cause that Wenger happens to be French, nor does it help South Africa’s cause that their team is full of, well, South Africans. The media extracts endless joy from jumping on both national stereotypes.
But the minute Fabregas – a spunky Spaniard who is more than his own person – has the affront to lob a piece of spit at Phil Brown (a totally false accussation), we have pundits and commentators say they would rather have had their legs broken than be spat on.
What a bizzare media culture the inbreds have developed. They pride themselves on boosting thugs like Alan Shearer and prostitute-lover Wayne Rooney, while unsettling the professional Fabregas and lambasting the passionate William Gallas.
If there’s one thing Springbok and Arsenal fans have in common, it’s a mutual reply to the whole gougeing fiasco:
“At least he didn’t spit on him, eh?”
More Arsenal news later tonight.
Filed under: Arsenal, Blogging, English Premier League
Quite brilliant; I couldn't have put it in quite the same perspective myself. Arsenal gets no respect from the English media. It's disgusting seeing as we're the only top four team that even a resemble an English run club.
Well put…..The media need to sought their houses….
Good article. Regarding " we have pundits and commentators say they would rather have had their legs broken than be spat on" – there is a Facebook group called "Please Remove Mark Bright From BBC Commentary Team". Please look it up and join.
Mark Bright is one of the chief culprits in this area – join the group, at least it sends a statement.
Very insightful article. I guess this is the problem with the British media and i do love the comment about Shearer and Rooney, two of the biggest thugs in the game who get away with murder in most games.
Well put ! Yippee! A fellow South African Arsenal supporter! At least i know i aint alone!
And at least I know I'm not the only one to feel as if Arsenal get more negative treatment and barbs from the media than any of the other Top 4. The media just seem to revel in ripping Arsenal up into pieces on a weekly basis…
I've just been hearing an interview by Yuri Geller and he talks about how the media should bear some responsibility for destroying Michael Jackson's already fragiel psyche – we saw it with Britney and Diana – the media are like a bunch of parasites feeding on others!
I remember listening to Alan Green on Radio 5 on the way home from Cardiff following the Pointless Cup defeat to Chelsea the other year. This was the game at which Chelsea fans we lobbing stuff onto the pitch at Fabregas when he was taking a corner. Green said words to the effect that "well, it's only celery and that's just what Chelsea fans do". Quite happily ignoring the facts that Fabregas didn't know what was being thrown and that if it was such harmless fun, why weren't they doing it at their own players when they came within range. Bright, Green, Crooks, Hansen, Lawrenson, and the worst of all, that talentless scribbler Bose who is the BBC sports editor are a disgrace to an otherwise venerable organisation.
It's is true that the British media is lost in a fog of its own stinking shit but I cannot completely agree with you about the treatment De Villiers got. South Africa are a notoriously rough team and play with a lot of commitment and passion. But sometimes things seem to cross the line. Too many players got taken to hospital and seriously hurt in this match to ignore. As O'Driscoll quite rightly pointed out, this kind of rugby will stop people letting their kids involved. Instead of the coach saying that it was a physical game and that there was no malice in the tackles just a proper game of rugby. Instead of this he suggested that the learns take up ballet. Basically he made himself look like a tosser and has since tried to distance himself from his own idiotic words. He got the treatment he got because he is an idiot and told the world so.
I agree with the majority of what you said, 'THEKNOW', and he rightly got some stick for what he said.
But my point still stands: What of the English managers who spout similar rubbish in the EPL?
Thanks for reading and the comments, guys.
Perhaps one of the reasons the media has it’s claws in for, not just Arsenal, but what Arsenal represents in an economic sense, is because they are all paid by the same bosses, who all have the same sick desire to see football run in the same vein of distorted economic practice as followed by Manc Citeh and Real Madrich.
That is the economic pattern of football that pays the bills for all the sycophants and parasites. The economic policy of Arsenal, defies that excessive glut that is equated with any type of eighty million squid transfer. And what sells? An Arsenal policy based on frugality on the part of an intelligent youth development programme and limited ‘big name transfers’ or eighty million squid wankers in pink hats???
On a side, I would like to see Khune, the SA goalkeeper, in an Arsenal shirt, he saved a Villa penalty like it was me taking it… Maybe thats just because I’m a Native Jozy dweller.
and Imtiaz, there are only a few Gooners in the RSA. So very few…
A very good post. I cannot agree more. There seems to be a sinister campaign against Arsenal in the British media. I am another Gooner in the RSA and I sometimes have a chuckle when all the other teams supporters worry more about Arsenal's results than their own teams.
Seriously we don't get a worse ride than any other side. It's pathetic when fans complain of media campaigns, you get the same from Utd and Liverpool banging on about the "London-based" media. Everyone remembers slights against their club. Do you think the Chelsea fans felt the media was going after them in the wake of the Barca game, or Liverpool fans after Benitez's rant?
The British tabloid media is sensationalist and hence it will go after any story, now stop being so precious, particularly when you live in Australia and can avoid the British media if you so chose.
Also, it's quite a stretch to compare the rugby and football media which are two separate entities. I think the rugby media offers a far more balanced approach to reporting and would be similarly slating the eye gouging incident had it been perpetrated by a player in red and then excused by the Lions management.
As a Gunners fan and a rugby coach I could not disagree with you more. PDV said that gouging was part of the game and if you did not like it go get a tutu and become a ballet dancer. It was a disgusting comment and he should be fired for it. I don't mind coaches defending players although I don't like AWs usual "I did not see it".
So…where is it we disagree, Pat?
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