Stephen Vasciannie MEDIA MATTERS matter to all of us. CVM TV will be the poorer if and when Ian Andrews takes his Solomonic style to another sporting arena. Mr. Andrews has been an asset to television on sporting matters, CVM TV appears to be very organized, and the team of presenters are all knowledgeable about sports. Under Mr. Andrews' leadership, members of the CVM Team have also been encouraged to specialise in different sporting areas.
This makes for better viewing: for example, I will trust Rohan Daley with horse racing news, and Cassius Watson with tennis, and so on, because they have been allowed to make their mark in specific sports. It's not that you just send to call someone to read the sports report tonight. I also hope that innovations such as "Where are they now?" will prevail at CVM even though the originator may be moving on. From Bunny Grant to Freddie Green, and with many in between, viewers with an interest in history have had the opportunity to reflect on sporting fortunes and lives following the fleeting moments of glory on the field. This kind of programming--with its touch of serendipity--brings to mind Hartley Neita's historical highlights in The Gleaner, another fascinating offering.
Which brings me to the question of history in sports television. How can it be that there are so few items on local television about our sports stars of the past. The Olympics are coming up, but you have to strain to catch Donald Quarrie's achievements, though he was such a dominant force from high school days at Camperdown.
DRIFTERS
Similarly, we hear the analytical Juliet Cuthbert on radio with the influential Maurice Foster and the knowledgeable H.G. Helps, but what would we have to do to see her moments of Olympic, Olympiad or even Olympian success? And, on the same point, would it not be a pleasure to see pictures from the early 1970s of Maurice Foster delivering his perennial drifters under the guise of an off-break delivery... followed by a presentation on how to get that elusive run between 99 and 100?
The problem is not just that the guardians of our sporting heritage have erased major sporting achievements in a round of shortsightedness (Lawrence Rowe 214 and 100 not out, Michael Holding forcing India to hold aloft the white flag at Sabina Park and so on). The problem is also that we don't appear to be following the example suggested by "Where are they now?" Why, for example, do we not see more feature programmes about aspects of sports?
"Wolmerian West Indian Wicketkeepers" is a title that comes readily to mind, given that the goldsmith's wonderful legacy has prompted a cricket tradition that may be unmatched anywhere else in the world. Or, how about a serious analysis with proper interviews and inserts of the putative "foreign mentality" in respect of local football.
From the 1970s, if not earlier, real Jamaican sporting experts, such as the late "Foggy" Burrowes, have been involved in an argument about whether we need to look outside to raise the standard of football at home. Today, this issue still seems to be giving the good Carl Brown a near-permanent headache.
Why not arrange a programme which covers the perspectives of persons who know about Penna from Brazil, Chung Fah from Jamaica, Simoes, and so on? Why not consider extensively the views of Captain Burrell, of David Haughton, of JFF President Boxill?
PERCEPTION
And while we are at it: is it too much to ask for an analysis of why legendary clubs such as Santos and Cavaliers faltered so significantly in the 1980s? Has the community football concept which now prevails actually hurt or helped the national programme? Enquiring minds would like to know. In the Arena and Sports Commentary point the direction, but I have in mind detailed, one-hour presentations with action and review. In response, some might suggest that the obstacle is one of resources, or the lack thereof.
This perspective would be the lazy way out of the problem. No doubt, the type of features that I am proposing would cost money; but the costs could be more than covered through sponsorship, and because the programmes could be repeated from time to time, they could be commercially viable. The real obstacle, I fear, is one of perception. Sometimes, we just do not seem prepared to regard ourselves as worthy subjects of analysis, and so, we are slow to identify outstanding items for television production. One school dominated Boys' Champs for almost a generation, and yet, it apparently did not occur to the television decision-makers at the time, fully to assess the factors that accounted for this. Or, to consider the nature of the effort that brought this dominance to an end. That's not a money question; it's a vision thing.
Stephen Vasciannie is Professor of International Law, head of the Department of Government, and a consultant in the Attorney-General's chambers.
