Where is the Media Respect for Men’s Gymnastics?
Posted on 29 April 2009 by admin
We don’t know who this person is, but he (she) brings up some good points. The blog Brusqueness commented on American male figure skater Evan Lysacek’s recent accomplishment in winning the World Championship, the first for the U.S. in 13 years. The blogger continued, "Don’t expect him to appear on a box of Wheaties anytime soon." Good point. He (she) goes on to say that "men’s figure skating (like men’s gymnastics) lacks a broad appeal to the general public."
The blogger goes on to point out the many examples of females skaters and gymnasts going on to enjoy lucrative endorsements after their successful Olympic careers. Yes, Kristi Yamaguchi, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin have hit endorsement pay dirt. Good for them, they deserve it. Then again, men’s gymnastics television viewership is at the top of the charts during the Olympics. Paul Hamm did OK after winning gold in Athens in 2004, but he didn’t end up on a Wheaties box.
The bottom line is that the women are merely a product of the mass media attention that they are given. The men could get more attention, but for some reason, the general public’s attention span is only as long as what the media foists upon them. Yes, the Olympic coverage for the men is very respectable, but it tends to peter out shortly after the games end. The last two Olympics have spawned some extra media coverage for the men, thanks to the gymnastics tours that follow the games. After that, it dies off. Is that the men’s fault, or is that the media’s fault?
The attention that men’s gymnastics attracts during the Olympics is huge. Given that the action takes place during prime time, it can’t be helped. Viewers are always amazed at the impressive athletic displays. Why does this amazement abruptly end after the Olympic coverage? Well, partly to blame is the relative unpredictability of the timing of gymnastics events. Baseball, basketball and football seasons are all very predictable. Elite gymnasts train all year round, but the bulk of their competitive season is relatively short and spread out. Even stranger to the non-gymnastics fan is that the sporadic international events taking place throughout the course of a year are often not planned very far in advance.
Not just the elite gymnasts but the younger club gymnasts (age 12-18) are also typically ignored altogether by the media. Every August, ABC/ESPN televises the Little League World Series. And to keep the audience piqued, all summer leading up to the Series, those networks televise much of the regional action throughout the country that leads up to the qualifiers of that great American event held in Williamsport, PA. It’s great stuff, and fans look forward to that action every summer.
What about the JO Nationals for our young club gymnasts? Do they ever get any national media coverage? Of course not. It’s too bad, because these young kids represent the best in America at what they do. They are easily the equivalent in talent, if not more, of the famous kids of summer who descend on Williamsport, PA every August.
In order to excel at gymnastics, an athlete has to rely on his own talent, confidence, and strength under pressure. No one, not even his coach, can help him once he receives the signal from the judge to begin. These young gymnasts have made it through all the hoops of their various local, state, and regional competitions, and have qualified for JOs as individuals. Not as a team, however symbiotic and competent it may be. Alone. They are the best in the country at what they do.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:28 am
I think that there are a few issues here. First off I agree with the issue about media coverage and the issue about the randomness of the season but I believe this main reasons why Men’s Gymnastics has nearly become extinct:
I am not arguing the new code, because I believe the most UNBELIEVABLE gymnastics has come about because of the new code, taking the sport to the next level in hopes of achieving their ultimate goal, which is what sports is all about! BUT, the problem is the way that the scores are presented and how each event isn’t valued the same.
Why do people love sports? They love watching a team of athletes, (that they feel a connection with because of some sort of tie, whether it may be a state team or the fact that they are on tv all the time,) come together to compete for one common goal and little by little get more points than the other team as it unfolds in front of them.
Gymnastics gets an X on every single one of these things! There isn’t a TEAM of athletes! You can’t develop a connection with them because they are not on tv and they are not representing anyone else but themselves! (In todays successful sports, fans and athletes care about that one goal [a world series or a super bowl] and not how the individual does). Then there is the actual competition. In basketball you watch as points change on the scoreboard by 2 or 3 as baskets are made. As a gymnastics fan, I can’t follow the scores at a meet! They are thrown up on the score board once in a while, usually not even updated and on top of thats the events don’t even hold the same value! (ex. 16 on vault to a 14 on horse).
I’m a sports fan and what sports do I like? baseball, football, NCAA hoops, NCAA football, and NCAA Gymnastics. Honestly I don’t care about the individual! It’s nice to watch guys on your team do well but who cares about the MVP? I want to watch the sox win the series, the bears win the super-bowl, and Illini win in hoops, football, and gymnastics! You want gymnastics to be popular? Then take the NCAA System and make intense so that people can get excited about what’s going on. How can Michigan and Illinois tie at Big Ten’s and nobody know what the hell is going on?! It’s embarrassing! Take a look at that meet and figure out how it could have been displayed to make a fan feel the way that the Illini did as the watched the final routines on pbars. That is the question. now what is the answer?
April 30th, 2009 at 9:43 am
MG, you put a lot out there. I agree with you about the code, especially since the main reason is that the routines are becoming more difficult, which makes it better for the sport and for the fans. As for following the scores, the sport needs to make it easier even for the most hard-core fan. Following the scores at the recent men’s NCAAs was very hard work. There has to be a better system.
Overall, I believe there absolutely must be some sort of centralized repository for club scores. Officials need to realize there are many fans out there who loathe the idea of having to search through an arcane maze to find out who scored what. There is a very simple solution, but very few realize what that is.
I like your idea about beefing up the NCAA system. Marketing efforts need to improve drastically. Why not put business school students to work by putting them in charge of marketing? It can’t possibly be that hard to put more fans in the stands. $1 beer and $1 hot dogs, anybody?
May 1st, 2009 at 6:58 am
Mens gymnastics just isnt viewed as something that would be of intrest. If someones face isnt being smashed in by a fist or someone getting smashed into walls there is no reason to watch. Which is wrong cause there is alot more entertainment in gymnastics then most other sports. people dont realize the risk we take to win. By going for big realeses or going for that stick. Its all hard ion us and we need to be rewarded for it. The public doesnt view us as a “sport” The new code rewards the gymnast foer going big but in the end of the day what does any male gymnast get. Most people dont even know the names of the men on the olympic team. im sure there is a way to make gymnastics a more popular sport.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:55 pm
If people were interested in mens gymnastics it would get attention. The world is a little more a fan of it but in the US there is not a single great gymnast currently competing and Paul Hamm winning a medal he didn’t deserve and then acting like a jerk turned people off.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Also the media has no respect for this sport in general.
May 1st, 2009 at 8:00 pm
I think there are some intrinsic issues with men’s gym that limit its popularity. But think that more could be done to overcome them.
1. A suggestion of homosexuality (strong if you hang on message boards). Not as bad as figure skating…
2. Lack of team aspect (football, etc..
3. Lack of combatitiveness (wrestling, boxing, etc.)
4. Complicated nature of understanding the scoring, moves, etc.
5. Lack of experience of individuals playing the sport in “sandlot” (ala football, etc.)
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I think these are too some degree intrinsic.
However, gym could still do a lot to market itself better. The simplest would be an easier explanation of all the moves and such. REading the CoP is difficult and it is a poorly layed out document, lacking photos and the like. Use of the telestrator and better commenting would help. Playoff systems.
Perhaps more mixed pairs championships.
Things to broaden male connection to gymnastics (allusions to martial arts, free running, etc.)
May 1st, 2009 at 11:21 pm
In the U.S., MAG will never be as popular as football, basketball, or baseball…not the least because people cannot legally or sanely gamble on gymnastics.
The live scoring really is a mess. That should be fixed out of respect for people who currently bother to attend these meets, never mind in an attempt to attract new fans.
And try developing a thicker skin…media “respect” and popularity aren’t everything.
May 4th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Media Respect and popularity are everything. The only way to fund sports is by having money which comes from people who come from the media and popularity. Not to mention who cares if someone wins if no one really cares about it. The glory of winning comes from the respect and pride of everyone around you who cares.
May 4th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
You can’t really say gymnstics isn’t a team sport because when you go to any meet, the athlete is repesenting his junior club, his city, his US region, and/or his college. Go to any NCAA event, JO Nationals or Olympic-level meet, and you’ll see it’s not about the individual. And from what I’ve seen, the media from these venues gives the athletes plenty of support. The main answer I get when I’ve asked non-gymnasts why there isn’t more interest in mens gymnastics is that it is difficult to relate to something that they cannot do. It is admired… as a rare diamond is admired, and we know how long that lasts (once every four years). The average man looks at a spectacular tackle and thinks, “wow I could have done that” but he looks at a spectacular dismount on a high bar and says, “wow, that’s great for him but no way am I doing that.” We should do a better job of making gymnastics skills attainable for all young men because after all, popularity is based on appeal… we should encourage basketball athletes to come in to the gym and improve their jumping skills, or football players to improve their strength… once they figure out they don’t have to be elite gymnasts to appreciate what gymnastics can offer, they will support our sport as we do theirs.