Is football still the focus?

Interesting to hear about the BBC’s legendary Football Focus programme has lost viewers in recent years. I thought it was a shame it caused a previous presenter Dan Walker and current presenter Alex Scott appeared to get into a little online spat.

My take on the programme is that many factors are responsible.

Firstly, the anticipatory Saturday lunchtime buzz is simply not there as for fans/viewers to get excited about. The slot of Football Focus was perfect for decades when almost every match was played on Saturday afternoons. Nowadays matches take place on Sundays as well as on several weekday evenings so the content is affected when teams are days away from playing.

Secondly, football is generally such a male dominated game and has been for generations. The terraces have still their fair share of tribal culture, hooligans, where racist and homophobic chants are still regularly heard. Many fans are slowly starting to accept and even appreciate the women’s game. It is different and it attracts a different fan base. What the BBC have done by putting Alex Scott as lead presenter from highly respected guest pundit may have pushed it a little too fast for the many fans.

Thirdly, and this is probably the trickiest. The mainstream media as well as online platform are obsessed with women’s appearance generally in society. Reports and comments are still primarily on what they wear, hairstyle, makeup and so on. Alex Scott became a regular and respected pundit after retiring from a highly acclaimed playing career. She speaks with knowledge, experience. Her views on the game (men’s and women’s) are always concise, insightful and I believe she is equal with any other pundit with regards to character and personality.

The ‘negative’ of been a good-looking female is that Alex’s choice of bold outfits detracts from the subject and distracts focus away from the football. Whilst the sport may have moved a long way from Motty’s sheepskin coat most male pundits stick to subdued relatively plain and traditional attire. This keeps the focus very much on what they are saying.

It was a showstopper but would tracksuit and trainers have been better for touchline interviews?

What would fans react like if Dan Walker had presented it like this?

Match of the Day got huge column inches in the episode Gary Lineker dressed like this!

Alex’s fashion is often bold and while it may attract attention and followers to her personal platforms, I suspect it may be a factor in the drop in viewers. The program is not a fashion show, and the females need to take it slow and steady to grow their acceptance from most male fans without trying to change everything too fast.

Sports like tennis and athletics have enjoyed an even gender split amongst fans so have always had female pundits and commentators who look great, wear attractive outfits without it ever becoming the focus.

Football fans are just going to take at least one or two generations to get there!