Comments on: Thanks for your ‘help’ SuperSport

By: ridwanzero

ridwanzero — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:14:51 +0000

i’d say it is ok to sensationalise, but then i’d be lying. yes, this is a blog, but the fact that it is a blog doesn’t exempt you from presenting a balanced argument supported by objective facts rather than subjective musings……….

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By: RZ

RZ — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:25:15 +0000

Guy, by your own admission, you are not a BCom graduate. Maybe you need to do a simple BA degree then Michael, who is after all a school teacher, could teach you simple grammar by using capital letters at the start of each sentence. Or better still, get Michael to bowl bouncers to you in the nets… notice the full stop?

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By: RZ

RZ — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:35:29 +0000

Great article. Hopefully SS take note and show us more local cricket.

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By: guy

guy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:01:32 +0000

i would argue that not winning an icc trophy is very relevant. are we the best team in the world? well, sort of. we top the test rankings, but dwindle in the odi rankings. this is the opposite of the cronje era. you simply declare that test cricket is more important than any other form of the game. more important how? to the fans? to one’s sense of self worth? i’ll tell you right now that if cricket is to pull people into the stadiums winning icc tournaments is very important indeed. and it is precisely because we have failed to win such trophies that i disagree with you when you say smith’s men have fulfilled the potential. if they had, we would have won in the west indies, we would have won the champions trophy etc etc. in fact, i suspect that graeme and the team would agree with me that they have not yet fulfilled heir potential simply because they know they can and should have won icc tournaments.

sure, i agree with you if supersport is indeed attempting to position itself as the caretaker of sa test cricket all the while keeping broadcasting from a wider audience. it just isn’t obvious to me that they are projecting such an image. by the way, i did not do a b.com; one does not need an education in commerce to grasp basic economic matters.

don’t get me wrong. i am a massive proteas fan, and i support smith and lads to the hilt. i’m also all for people putting forward their views, as long as those views are substantiated. i just don’t buy half-baked arguments. that sort of laziness irritates me.

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By: Michael de Vries

Michael de Vries — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:45 +0000

Hey Guy, take it easy buddy. sorry about the sensationalism.
I was talking about the test team, who won series away against England and Australia last year. So those are the trophies that are in the cabinet (you might have seen photos of Graeme Smith actually holding them)Their failure to win an ICC one day knockout tournament is not really all that relevant.
Supersport is a private company, so calling them evil is probably not very fair. But my problem is that they market themselves as important to the well being of SA test cricket through their tax-deductable sponsorship of the 4 day competition. I just feel that is quite misleading. But Im sure your B.com taught you that it is quite an effective marketing strategy.
They are not a national broadcaster, they have no responsibility to anything, but they claim credit for the role that they play in the success of the national team - I feel that they could help create awareness and interest in this form of the game by broadcasting it. My views are quite one-sided and Im sorry if they seem irrational, but it is just a blog.

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By: guy

guy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:20:14 +0000

‘By all accounts Smith’s team has done this.’ except the very important trophy-in-the-cabinet account, which in case you aren’t aware, is nil.

‘an evil, profit-driven corporation’… huh? it is a private company, it is necessarily profit-driven. and evil? lost me there. supersport should exist to broadcast sport first and take a profit second? blimey.

‘There will always be a market for Test/double innings cricket. It is the most engaging form of the game. That’s not being a purist, that’s just having taste.’ you can’t declare that there is/will be a market for four-day cricket if no one buys into it, michael. there simply isn’t such a market in south africa. notice the full stop at the end of that sentence.

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By: Twitter Trackbacks for Sports Leader » Reader Blog » Thanks for your 'help' SuperSport [sportsleader.co.za] on Topsy.com

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:33:11 +0000

[…] Sports Leader » Reader Blog » Thanks for your ‘help’ SuperSport www.sportsleader.co.za/readerblog/2009/10/30/thanks-for-your-help-supersport – view page – cached South African cricket is going through a “golden period”, if the hype is to be believed then our national team has not had this much quality and depth in the post-isolation era. It’s great for… (Read more)South African cricket is going through a “golden period”, if the hype is to be believed then our national team has not had this much quality and depth in the post-isolation era. It’s great for those who never stopped believing. (Read less) — From the page […]

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