US World Cup media coverage improving

American media is following the World Cup more closely than in past years.

The evidence lies not in features stories about Eagle players and the USA's uphill battle, but in the number of so-called wire service accounts of the knockout rounds, as well as treatment of Rugby World Cup as a business. For example, the New York Times and many other Sunday and Monday papers picked up the results of this weekend's semifinals.

Almost without fail, America's best and most ambitious teams regularly appear in the local sports section, alongside other 'minor' sports like soccer, lacrosse, or tennis. That's important because it demonstrates the sports editor treating rugby as an athletic endeavor, and regularly making decisions about its news value.

By contrast, sports that live by the feature story die by the feature story: mainstream sports with clever storylines as well as 'spot news' inevitably trump the small fry.

Of course, Associated Press-type coverage can lack the detail or nuance that rugby enthusiasts are looking for. In the Internet age that's easily remedied by visiting overseas sites. But the important question is whether rugby is winning new fans Stateside.

Meanwhile, BusinessWeek last month ran a piece sizing up the tournament's commercial sponsorship. It serves to remind that not all audiences are created equal.

Credit-card group Visa International is one of six companies that have shelled out $6.5 million apiece to become top corporate sponsors. Another half-dozen, including Toshiba (6502.T) and Heineken (HEIN.AS), are paying more than $3 million each for second-tier sponsorships. Their backing stands in sharp contrast to the recent meltdown in corporate support for cycling teams (BusinessWeek, 6/7/07) embroiled in doping investigations.

Related: Do-it-yourself media takes root

Comments

[Jason Maloni, Levick Strategic Communications]

The Washington Post did a number of stories on the World Cup after a lot of prodding. News coverage will not come to you - you need to take stories to it. Develop a unique angle or interesting feature and get on the phone and sell it to the right person. The sports page is not the only avenue (they often have their hands ful professional and high school sports). Style, business, metro and even local weekly newspapers and area blogs are ripe targets.

Front page story with large picture on Marylander Inaki Basauri http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/04/AR2007090401981.html

WP Blog Story on Owen Lentz
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2007/08/the_hooker_likes_pastels.html

The Post also did a special story in its KidsPost edition (for "tweens") on the U.S. team on the day the men tackled Samoa.

[Ray Schwartz]

Check this out. I tried and tried to get the Sac Bee to cover our local players in the Cup (Stanfill and Palamo both played HS rugby in Sacramento), just as the WP covered Inaki. I got nowhere, but keep feeding them passionately written stuff, until one of the editors challenged me to start a high school rugby blog in their prep sports section. See for yourself: http://www.sacbee.com/prepsplus/story/438479.html

[Ron]

Ray,

You should write in your blog about how the Try for Others Foundation, a non-profit that raises money for catastrophically injured rugby players, has been blackballed by the Sacramento Rugby officials from running a High School tournament in Sacramento.

Be sure to include how greed and politics have prevented a worthy foundation from being able to host a tournament that raises funds for ruggers like the one in the story below:

"June 4, 2006 - The 1970s French Rugby player, Jean-Pierre Rives, once said, "The whole point of rugby is that it is, first and foremost, a state of mind, a spirit." The 2006 men's club championships held in San Diego showcased not only the spirit of American rugby but also the concern for those who play the game. Prior to the championship game, the Try For Others Foundation presented a $5,000 check to Kevin Dalzell on behalf of injured Orange County Bucks rugger Alec (Bunk) Wurth.

Bunk grew up in Orange County, California. At 36, he was an excellent and dedicated special education teacher, a strong athlete, a committed friend, and a devoted son and brother. On February 25th, 2006 life as Bunk knew it drastically changed. Bunk sustained a serious spinal cord injury while playing in a rugby match for the Orange County Bucks. The C4 and C5 vertebrae were dislocated into his spine, and he immediately lost all movement and sensation from the shoulders down. Initially, Bunk was able to move his shoulders and breathe on his own; however, after a surgical repair to the vertebrae and bruising elevated up the spine to the C2 level, he has been dependant on a ventilator. Family, friends, and especially Bunk, are confident that through his hard work and determination, the unconditional support of his family and friends, a strong faith, sincere prayers and modern medicine, he will recover.

"Our best wishes are with Bunk as he begins his road to recovery," said Try For Others founder and fellow injured rugger Dominic Cooke. "Recovering from a traumatic injury can be an overwhelming experience emotionally, physically, and financially. I know Bunk is up for the challenge and the Try For Others Foundation is here to support him."