It also deserves to have artistic sports, like forms of gymnastics, and maybe include para-dance or something
If it deserves a bigger spotlight, it will get a bigger spotlight. The public interest is what interests the public.
Not only Paralympics, Para Sports as a whole deserves a bigger spotlight. I wish Five-a-side football for visually challenged and Wheelchair basketball to become professional sports. I know its not feasible but still I wish for it.
I wish it could be integrated into the main event more, especially as the pool is only in use for one of the weeks mostly and the track only on the other. I know there’s logistics issues and a TV schedule to consider but with a bit of thinking ahead…
“Deserve”? Sure, just like women’s sports deserve a bigger spotlight than the fraction of coverage that is devoted to men’s sports on Sportscenter or in newspaper sports pages. But it’s a chicken and egg situation, because coverage only happens when people are interested and vice versa, so it’s good to see that NBC and other networks and outlets are increasing their coverage of the Paralympics and we’ll get to see how audience rates go up. But you can’t *make* people watch nor can you get mad if they choose not to.
Also, until the IOC and Paralympics are formally merged together you will not see a combined ceremony on the level of what’s proposed here; yes there was involvement with Paralympians in the closing ceremony but the IOC will not change its formula for *Olympic* ceremonies
Deserve ain’t got nothing to do with it
I think deserve isn’t the right word. It has a massive games on terrestrial tv and is front page bbc sport. It’s also got side shows like last leg in uk and medalists make the news and back pages.
That is more than women’s rugby (world cup soon), the world games, nearly all uk fringe sports and probably on par with commonwealth games or Winter Olympics.
Without checking, I don’t know the uk ice hockey champs, the basketball champs, netball, baseball…well you get my drift.
If more people watch it, it gets more.
What kind of “spotlight”? Generally, publicity is relative to public interest.
Entertainment media is a supply and demand market, like anything else.
It receives a huge spotlight versus most other major sports outside the big commercial winners (NFL, English Premier League etc). The issue is it’s compared to the Olympics, which is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, period.
Sorry but no it doesn’t. I’m all for the paralympians getting their spotlight, but stop trying to force them onto us.
Olympic champs are fun to watch because they represent the pinnacle of human achievement. Paralympians are interesting to watch because of the perseverance and indomitable will on display. They’re not the same and they’re not going to draw the same spectacle. Stop trying to force it.
The coverage in German public television is quite good and pretty extensive so I won’t complain 🙂
Well, I can barely find channels to watch it. So far I’ve only seen Channel4 UK and CBC broadcasting some sports, compared to how BBC and Eurosports had full coverage of olympics
[deleted]
I feel like Channel 4’s been doing a pretty good job of it, to be fair.
The problem is that I want to watch it. But I just don’t know where to.
Can’t figure out why. I’m stumped.
It is showing non-stop on Channel 4 from 7am to 22:30, then the Last Leg followed by more coverage. The Channel 4 coverage is more consistent that even the BBC coverage of the olympics.
It’s notable how the Americans really don’t do as well in the Paralympic medal tables – it can’t be a coincidence that it gets less coverage in US media compared to other countries.
Paralympians are household names here in the UK, they really don’t seem to have that backing in America. From what I have seen of the coverage as well it still seems to lean into patronising stories about “overcoming adversity” etc. the UK coverage has largely moved beyond that.
probably for 2028 it will be easier to watch in the us
19 comments
It also deserves to have artistic sports, like forms of gymnastics, and maybe include para-dance or something
If it deserves a bigger spotlight, it will get a bigger spotlight. The public interest is what interests the public.
Not only Paralympics, Para Sports as a whole deserves a bigger spotlight. I wish Five-a-side football for visually challenged and Wheelchair basketball to become professional sports. I know its not feasible but still I wish for it.
I wish it could be integrated into the main event more, especially as the pool is only in use for one of the weeks mostly and the track only on the other. I know there’s logistics issues and a TV schedule to consider but with a bit of thinking ahead…
“Deserve”? Sure, just like women’s sports deserve a bigger spotlight than the fraction of coverage that is devoted to men’s sports on Sportscenter or in newspaper sports pages. But it’s a chicken and egg situation, because coverage only happens when people are interested and vice versa, so it’s good to see that NBC and other networks and outlets are increasing their coverage of the Paralympics and we’ll get to see how audience rates go up. But you can’t *make* people watch nor can you get mad if they choose not to.
Also, until the IOC and Paralympics are formally merged together you will not see a combined ceremony on the level of what’s proposed here; yes there was involvement with Paralympians in the closing ceremony but the IOC will not change its formula for *Olympic* ceremonies
Deserve ain’t got nothing to do with it
I think deserve isn’t the right word. It has a massive games on terrestrial tv and is front page bbc sport. It’s also got side shows like last leg in uk and medalists make the news and back pages.
That is more than women’s rugby (world cup soon), the world games, nearly all uk fringe sports and probably on par with commonwealth games or Winter Olympics.
Without checking, I don’t know the uk ice hockey champs, the basketball champs, netball, baseball…well you get my drift.
If more people watch it, it gets more.
What kind of “spotlight”? Generally, publicity is relative to public interest.
Entertainment media is a supply and demand market, like anything else.
It receives a huge spotlight versus most other major sports outside the big commercial winners (NFL, English Premier League etc). The issue is it’s compared to the Olympics, which is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, period.
Sorry but no it doesn’t. I’m all for the paralympians getting their spotlight, but stop trying to force them onto us.
Olympic champs are fun to watch because they represent the pinnacle of human achievement. Paralympians are interesting to watch because of the perseverance and indomitable will on display. They’re not the same and they’re not going to draw the same spectacle. Stop trying to force it.
The coverage in German public television is quite good and pretty extensive so I won’t complain 🙂
Well, I can barely find channels to watch it. So far I’ve only seen Channel4 UK and CBC broadcasting some sports, compared to how BBC and Eurosports had full coverage of olympics
[deleted]
I feel like Channel 4’s been doing a pretty good job of it, to be fair.
The problem is that I want to watch it. But I just don’t know where to.
Can’t figure out why. I’m stumped.
It is showing non-stop on Channel 4 from 7am to 22:30, then the Last Leg followed by more coverage. The Channel 4 coverage is more consistent that even the BBC coverage of the olympics.
It’s notable how the Americans really don’t do as well in the Paralympic medal tables – it can’t be a coincidence that it gets less coverage in US media compared to other countries.
Paralympians are household names here in the UK, they really don’t seem to have that backing in America. From what I have seen of the coverage as well it still seems to lean into patronising stories about “overcoming adversity” etc. the UK coverage has largely moved beyond that.
probably for 2028 it will be easier to watch in the us