Do female anchors in sport contribute solely towards entertainment? Cocktail dresses and stilettos, aren't, after all, standard sports attire! Does glamour take precedence over knowledge of the game? Or does entertainment have its role here too? Shivanji, Deeksha R., Madhur Ahuja, Adwait Thakur and Abhineet talk to Aksheev Thakur about sexism in sport.
If you search for “sports anchors in India” in Google, the results throw up “Top 10 hottest female sports broadcasters in India” followed by social media enthusiasts’ comments on their attire. Is sex appeal taking precedence over sports knowledge? We posed this question to sports enthusiasts at a private tax company.
“Not as far as I am concerned, but television has to have entertainment value. Otherwise, it will end up being bland. Over time, the content on television has evolved and so has the audience,” says Mr Adwait Thakur, a GST expert.
Trading barbs over tea, Ms Shivangi, a sales executive, says, “Spontaneity and knowledge of sports to give inputs in a discourse is a must. Sports is not some B-grade movie where you add colour through so-called entertainment. For example, a player scoring a century in a cricket match or a goal in a football match is entertaining in itself. What more a sports fan can ask for?”
But Mr Madhur Ahuja, a GST executive, believes that it is inappropriate to think that anchors who look good are not sports experts. “Controversy or no controversy, Mayanti Langer does have the knowledge of sports. The command over English or any other language in which the show is supposed to be held should be extraordinary. If the package comes with certain appeal, I do not see anything wrong with it,” Mr Ahuja points out.
On being asked if one sees Mandira Bedi, the actress who hosted the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, as an anchor who could steer arguments, Mr Abhineet, tax expert, says, smiling, “Mandira was well-versed in the game cricket and lured housewives into watching matches too. An aunt in my neighbourhood never missed a single match of the 2003 World Cup because she was interested in the sarees Mandira wore. By increasing the entertainment quotient of sports, these women anchors fetch TRPs, which is what sports channels want.”
But Ms Deeksha R., a student, believes that the attitude of the viewers towards women anchors is wrong. “The fundamental interest of watching a sport is the game itself and the way it is played. The sex appeal taking precedence over talent is wrong,” she says.
Rebutting the others’ view on entertainment quotient, she says, “I believe that Mayanti Langer is uncomfortable in the dress she is asked to wear by the producers. Though she has considerable knowledge of cricket, little credit is given to her talent. The entire focus of viewers is her dress!”
Mr Thakur interrupts, roping Harsha Bhogle into the chat. He says, “Bhogle never played cricket, but the moment I saw him on the commentary desk, I stayed glued to the TV set. It’s all about presentation With women anchors, we expect glamour. I find it entertaining and I believe that women anchors with experts make the match interesting even during breaks when we tend to switch channels.”
However, Ms Harsha, a sales executive, believes the quality of debate depends on the experts. “They balance the show and a less capable anchor look good. There is nothing wrong if a channel is getting female sports anchors to pull more audiences. But my focus will always be on the experts,” she says.
