Harnessing the limitless power of sports media

SOME athletes have an amazing grasp of the media to convey their message.

While the journalists may be the ones asking the questions, I’ve come across athletes who are extremely savvy and know how to take advantage of the opportunity of being interviewed to get what they want to say out to a broader audience.

On the other hand, I’ve also interviewed athletes who are less aware about utilising their media sessions, which have ended with neither the athlete nor the journalist gaining anything from the exchange.

Social media platforms today have also allowed fans direct access to the athletes and vice versa and it is important for athletes to understand and use these tools to their advantage as it can impact their earning capacity.

As such, I wanted to highlight my thoughts on how athletes, or anyone with a platform for that matter, can make the most of a media session and use it to their advantage.

The athletes who have impressed me are generally very clear, concise, and aware of the message they would like to convey. It may seem obvious, but too many times, I’ve been left wondering, ‘what are you actually trying to say?’ after posing a question to an athlete during a media session.

One thing I’ve noticed amongst Asian athletes, in general, is that it is not in their culture to boast or talk up their chances for fear of being seen as arrogant.  Nor is it common for them to open up about the struggles they are facing, as it might make them look weak. 

Torn by this dilemma, it’s common to hear Asian athletes give a very generic response, such as, ‘I'll do my best’ ahead of a tournament and, ‘I tried my best’ at the end of one. It is also painfully obvious when an athlete has not stopped to think about what they want to say before facing the media.

This is a missed opportunity for athletes to give their fans, sponsors, and stakeholders a deeper insight into their journey which, in return, can help unite the country behind them.

I have found that Japanese athletes have managed a nice balance of sharing insight while remaining humble. For instance, world number one, Momota Kento, once said to me ahead of a tournament that he was ‘well prepared and if he plays to his potential, he expects a good result’. In one statement, the badminton ace ensured that he signaled he was in top form and in the hunt for the title.

From a PR perspective, it is a positive message of determination that will be welcomed by his sponsors and motivate fans to tune in and cheer him on. It also implies that the stakeholders have done well to help prepare him for this tournament and so it’s a win-win all around.

On the flip side, a less than ideal performance during a tournament can be softened by an honest and open explanation to the press, which will help the reporter include a message that will allow an opportunity for fans and stakeholders to empathize with the struggles faced.

I feel too many times that athletes are written-off after a poor showing and sometimes, it can be due to a lack of insight that could help to win over the hearts and minds of the public.

I’ve noticed it helps to be able to speak directly to the fans and athletes who are bi-, tri-, or multilingual have a huge advantage. 2016 Formula 1 world champion, Nico Rosberg, remains at the top of my list of such versatile athletes. While I’ve only spoken to him in English, once we were done, I’ve witnessed how he is able to turn to the next journalist and continue his session in French, Italian, Spanish and, of course, German; five languages make him relatable to a much wider fan base.

Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen is another fine example. Given the far-reaching popularity of badminton in Asia and, especially, China, the 2017 badminton world champion has learned Mandarin to enable him to communicate directly with the reporters from China and even use the language in his social media posts.

It’s not only allowed him to build a huge fanbase in the country, he has circumvented the ‘us’ vs ‘them’ narrative, especially when playing against Chinese players like their reigning Olympic champion, Chen Long. In a pre-Covid world, having a stadium full of fans cheering you on can certainly have an impact on your on-court performance.

Why is all this important? For athletes, publicity is a tradable commodity. The more news coverage and a bigger social media presence, the greater the sponsorship potential. While competition results should be an athlete’s main area of focus, I think it’s important for them to try and maximize their earning potential during their active years. 

Reigning badminton world champion, P.V. Sindhu, who has almost three million followers on Twitter, has sponsorship deals amounting to eight million US dollars. Now while that is at the higher end of the spectrum, even a small fraction of that would go a long way to helping athletes plan for their retirement.

On a personal level, my wish is that our Malaysian athletes also follow suit and increase their awareness on how to harness the media and to use it to help them throughout their playing career and beyond. ─ The Vibes, 27 February, 2021