Here’s Why Pakistan’s Sports Journalism Needs a Reality Check

The world of sports journalism holds the unique responsibility of capturing the drama, the dedication, technicalities and the triumphs of athletes and the sports they play. It brings nations together in support of their athletes, ignites discourse and inspires a generation of sports-persons.

But what if this platform remains unbalanced? In our country, one with an extremely passionate sports audience, sports journalism faces a unique and vast set of challenges. In this article we will break down some of these hurdles, examining the elements that prevent a nuanced, holistic and critical portrayal of the nation’s sporting landscape.

Beyond the Wicket

While cricket reigns supreme in its dominance over media channels and thus the public tends to overshadow and undermine the growth of other sports. This lack of balanced coverage creates a trickle-down effect, discouraging public interest, ergo investment in other athletic pursuits. sports where Pakistan has a rich history – starved for coverage, such as hockey in which we boast a record four World Cup wins (in 1971, 1978, 1982, and 1994).

Due to this, newer sports initiatives also tend to be ignored. We see this, especially with sports such as basketball. The youth in major cities such as Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi seem to show a lot of interest in the sport however it remains widely ignored. We see initiatives such as “League of Basketball Karachi” which try to bring traction and resources to these sports being widely ignored by the media and the public at large.

Drama Over Depth

I believe we have all experienced a touch of sudden whiplash from the constant controversies swirling around player selection or off-field sports. Remember the turmoil and drama on social media surrounding the recent Pakistan national team selection for the T20 World Cup 2024.

While stories such as these have their place perhaps deep dives into unorthodox training strategies or in-depth tactical breakdowns of winning strategies typified by nuance would be far more enriching for audiences.

This is also damaging to players. Imagine a young swimmer set on being great. Training day in and day out to perfect her craft. She turns on the TV only to see endless and pointless debates on an exaggerated story surrounding a player’s claimed disagreement with the coach.

Where’s the inspiration in that? This directly damages sportspersons’ commitment and attachment to their sports.

This infatuation with dramatization tends to seep into the commentary box. We have all seen tight matches where commentators resort to dissecting player’s every facial expression instead of discussing the game itself. It transforms skilful games typified by technical brilliance into telenovelas. Pakistani sports journalism has the potential to be a powerful storyteller, but sensationalism risks reducing it to just another generator of daily dramatized headlines.

Cash-Strapped Commentary

For sports journalism financial constraints add another layer to the challenge, acting like a nagging injury hindering progress. Investigative journalism is expensive, and so is in-depth coverage as a whole. You need manpower, travel, access to data and so much more. When these budget constraints exist, extremely important facets of sports journalism are sidelined.

Sports media houses with limited resources may not want to send professional investigative journalists to uncover the bureaucratic hurdles preventing the development of proper training facilities as the story may not prove to be profitable.

This lack of financing sometimes manifests into repetitive narratives and a lack of critical analysis. Post-match interviews devolve into sensationalized, emotional and predictable questionnaires. It’s a far cry from the sort of insightful discussions that would contribute to the development of the sport. As a whole, financial constraints clip the wings of Pakistani sports journalism, preventing it from soaring to its full potential.

Expertise Stretched Thin

As opposed to cricket, other sports have way fewer dedicated experts, channels and journalists. We end up with shallow reporting lacking depth. As an example, Analyses of hockey often wind up caught in a nostalgic loop, reminiscing past glories rather than delving into present shortcomings in player development or infrastructure.

This lack of expertise and specialists for individual sports even leads to the occasional square peg in a round-hole situation – imagine a seasoned political commentator being thrown into the commentary box for a crucial kabaddi match. Smaller sports get lost and discussions on them are often only a few statements long, misplaced and thrown around during a debate about something completely different.

The Road Ahead

A ray of hope peeks through. With the evolution of journalism past the traditional media houses, independent journalistic endeavours keep popping up on social media and the internet at large, providing unbiased, nuanced analysis.

These are often the result of young, passionate journalists with a keen interest in the sport itself rather than their careers. Pakistani sports journalism is (albeit rather slowly) evolving to be more nuanced and insightful due to these efforts.

Sports journalism in Pakistan can and will further evolve through investing resources, a focus on objective reporting, and the nurturing of the younger generation that takes a keen interest in their country’s sports.

However, there is a lot of work to be done. For Pakistani sports journalism, it’s time to step out of the batting crease and shine a light on the entire playing field. The vast array of sports, skilled athletes, fans, expert strategists and deep investigative stories – they’re all waiting for their moment in the spotlight.

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About the Author: Isra Ahmed is a debater and a high school student with a knack for Humanitarian Sciences and a desire to promote nuanced multi-faceted discourse in various fields.