I know that my opinion of South African media tends to be cynical and critical, I believe with good reason.
But, when it comes to sport on our television sets, I cannot fault SuperSport because its multichannel offerings always seem to exceed my expectations. And I am quite sure, of every single South African who loves sport and for whom our national teams stir an enormous amount of passion.
Rugby World Cup 1995 proved that. Football World Cup 2010 proved it conclusively.
And now, with the Rugby World Cup only a matter of weeks away, SuperSport has not only produced a quite remarkable advertising campaign for its coverage of every match, but has ignited that fuse that will once again unleash our national passion for sport.
Of course there will be those who will criticise the campaign in spite of a star-studded cast including, Princess Charlene of Monaco, all pledging ‘Our Hearts Are In It’.
But, I defy any of those cynics to admit that they are not moved when sporting teams of any nation, but particularly South Africa, stand to attention on the field and sing their national anthems. This campaign encapsulates that feeling.
When one looks at the cold hard facts about television and sport, there is no question that in South Africa we are being given what I believe is quite the best sports coverage on the planet. Almost always in at least three languages.
I know that SuperSport is only available to those who can afford the subscription fees but, I suppose, like ownership of cars, houses and Rolex watches, if you live in what is supposed to be a capitalist country, quality television always comes at a cost.
And even when one looks at those subscription fees, they are a bargain for sports lovers.
A one year subscription to the full DStv bouquet will maybe allow you to attend a couple of Manchester United matches and if you can afford the airfare, entrance to maybe a few days of the Open Golf Championship or a seat on centre court for the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.
Rugby World Cup 2015 won’t only feature matches live on SuperSport but options of watching long and short highlights on the DStv Explora catch-up function not to mention hours of commentary and opinion by leading players and coaches.
As I said earlier, I am usually cynical and critical of our media but when it comes to SuperSport I can’t fault them. Not one bit.
Now isn’t that refreshing?
