Un vistazo por los alrededores de los deportes

A look around sports

Due to my publication yesterday where I remembered the figure of a very famous local sports reporter specializing in soccer, I was thinking about how many people make sports better and collaborate with its dissemination, understanding, and practice without actively participating in them. It is precisely the journalists who in their different facets fulfill these roles, often ignored by the fans.

It is true that some journalists, due to their own personality and ambitions, like those of any human being, also manage to be famous and become stars in the sports world, there are some examples in all of them, however, I cannot stop thinking also in many that do not transcend, either because they fulfill complementary roles, although probably essential, and others because they simply do their job and do not think of transcending beyond those modest goals.

Sports stars transcend borders and are known throughout the world, it is difficult for a sports journalist to achieve such an impact, I am not saying that there are not, but they are generally exceptional cases, as my grandmother would say, you can count them on the fingers of one ear.

Yesterday I mentioned José María Muñoz, a great rapporteur who imposed his imprint and took the story of soccer matches to another level. He had an overwhelming personality and a great dedication to work, thanks to his initiatives an enormous boost was given to the dean program of sports journalism called "la oral deportiva", a program created in 1933 and was and continues to be an icon in Argentine radio, a program designed and produced exclusively to talk about sports, of course long before the emergence of the large and powerful channels specialized in sports such as ESPN and FOX, those that flood us with information, images, analysis, and opinions during the 24 hours during the 365 days of the year. Too much information and where originality and scoops are shipwrecked among so many programs, some of which strive to do something different, although they generally fail, these are the times.

Some transmissions have been great influences on me and have even encouraged them to have a greater interest in understanding and informing me. I cannot fail to mention the golf broadcasts made by Silvia Bertolaccini and Paco Alemán, they entered my house in each major and in each important tournament that took place in the PGA for more than 25 years, now they are retired but I miss them even though their replacements do a great job.

Some great Latin American journalists do an enormous job broadcasting both MLB and NFL games, suffice it to say that I understood the difficult rules of these sports only thanks to the explanations I received from those broadcasts.

I have already mentioned in another publication the extraordinary work that Gonzalo Bonadeo has always carried out, a specialist in Olympic sports has led me to internalize many sports that are not popular or practiced by the majority of people, and has shown and continues to do so, the interior of Olympic sports specialties that are carried out only by the passion and effort of a few, against many adverse conditions, perhaps only for the sin of being generally unprofitable and unpopular sports.

Not to mention cameramen, technicians, assistants, and producers who make the transmissions possible and that we are all aware of what is happening in our favorite sports. Last week while the first of the FedEx Cup golf playoffs was played in the sweltering heat, a cameraman was briefly seen carrying those heavy cameras on one shoulder and other equipment that was also heavy and uncomfortable in his hand. free. They also deserve a look and recognition, even if they are not popular, do not broadcast their spectacular plays, or earn millions.