DeepSummary
The podcast discusses the media's portrayal of Bukayo Saka after England's defeat to Iceland in a pre-Euro warm-up match. Despite Saka only playing the final 25 minutes, many newspapers used his image on their back pages, evoking memories of the racist abuse he faced after the Euro 2020 final penalty shootout. Guests Henry Winter and Jordan Jarrett-Bryan analyze the editorial decisions behind using Saka's image and the broader implications of disproportionately associating a young black player with England's failure.
The conversation delves into the nuances of how match reports and images are selected, with guests acknowledging improvements in media-player relations under Gareth Southgate but highlighting the need for greater sensitivity and accountability. They stress that while progress has been made since Raheem Sterling called out the treatment of young black players in 2018, incidents like this represent a step backward and risk further damaging the relationship between the media and the national team.
The guests also touch on the potential impact of such portrayals on Saka himself, as well as the broader societal implications given the ongoing tensions around race and culture. They emphasize the need for fairness and proportionality in associating players with a team's performance, irrespective of race, and call for greater understanding among editors of why certain decisions may be problematic.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The media's portrayal of Bukayo Saka following England's pre-Euro defeat sparked discussions around editorial accountability and fair representation of players.
- While progress has been made since Raheem Sterling's previous criticism, incidents like this risk setting back efforts to improve media-player relations.
- There is a need for greater sensitivity and understanding among editors of the broader societal implications of disproportionately associating young black players with the national team's failures.
- The discussion emphasizes the importance of ensuring proportional and fair representation that aligns with players' actual performances, irrespective of race.
- The incident highlights ongoing tensions around race and culture, and the potential impact of such portrayals on players like Saka as well as public perceptions.
- Guests acknowledge improvements in fostering better media-player relations under Gareth Southgate but stress the need for continued efforts to address systemic biases and lack of diversity in decision-making roles.
- The conversation underscores the role of media in shaping narratives and the responsibility of editors to consider the broader context and implications of their editorial choices.
- Overall, the episode calls for greater accountability, sensitivity, and understanding from media outlets to avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes and ensure fair and proportional representation of all players.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I think for me, I was very conscious of not doing the kind of faux outrage thing when this happened because people are saying they're surprised and they're shocked and oh my God, this is. I wasn't surprised. I wasn't expecting it. I must admit, when I first saw the back page, I was a bit like, wow. But there wasn't shock. It wasn't like a where has this come from? Moment.“ by Jordan Jarrett-Bryan
- “So this is really important. It's a good question because nobody's saying that you cannot use an image of Bukaya saka or a black player on the front or the back pages. That needs to be very, very clear. And I think Darren's article you've referenced makes that point. Nobody's saying this is a, we have to protect Bukayasaka at all costs. Don't you dare put him on the back pages. It's about, is Bukayasaka's image on your paper relevant to the story you are telling? It's about fairness. It's just about fairness.“ by Jordan Jarrett-Bryan
- “I think there's a pernicious nature to this as well.“ by Jordan Jarrett-Bryan
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Episode Information
The Sports Agents
Global
6/11/24
If you hadn't actually watched England's defeat to Iceland in their final warm-up game ahead of the Euros, you'd have been forgiven for thinking Bukayo Saka was largely responsible...
Images of the Arsenal talisman adorned the back pages of almost every major newspaper - despite him only being introduced as a 65th minute substitute at Wembley on Friday night.
Today on The Sports Agents, Gabby & Mark are joined by football writer Henry Winter and Channel 4 sports correspondent Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, to explain the why the context matters, how those photos actually end up on the back pages of multiple publications, and ultimately, why this keeps happening with Saka & England.
And later, a sneak peek at Thursday's special episode into the fall-out from the announcement of a Netball Super League 2.0.
Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides
Producers: David Domb & Sophie Penney
Video Producer: Sam Trudgill
Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell
Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network
Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global
You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".
And, the Sports Agents now have merch!