Between the Tape
For as long as I have followed mountain biking I have enjoyed watching both ‘sides’ of the sport, men and women. I’ve never had a real preference between the two. I’d be just as entertained watching Nino Schurter flow through some trail as I would watching Jolanda Neff. But why do I feel like this about one sport and not another? Is it a case of preference or access?
Of the few soccer games I’ve watched on TV I’d say 97% of them have been men’s games. When the soccer World Cup was on last year, I was in Europe injured with a lot of TV time and watched a few women’s games that were on before the men’s games. It was in a foreign language and I had about as much idea of what was going on as I did when I was watching Neymar fall over. But I still watched it and was entertained, it was essentially the same thing. Though I had no idea of who I was watching or what series it was.
Of the road cycling I’ve seen I’d say 90% have been men’s races. Compared to soccer, I do actually know some top elite women cyclists. Of the live races I’ve seen I have been as, if not more, entertained by women’s cycling. The depth of field and unpredictability creates anticipation that only the most intense men’s races produce. I italicised ‘live’ as anticipation is only good if I don’t know who wins.
Of the women’s road racing season, the only thing I know is it isn’t like the men’s season. I know they have a World Tour series, but I’m not exactly sure what it is or when it is. The only real indication is when a UCI highlight video pops up on my YouTube feed, usually after I know who won the race and the anticipation is lost. To some extent I know it’s up to the viewer of sport to be informed. But there is only so much time I want to spend searching for race information for a sport I’m not 100% interested in.
Of the women’s cross country racing I have seen, I would say I’m at 50% viewing compared to men’s races. I would put the split difference between XCO and other sports down to the coverage and format. In XCO they are essentially the same as the men. The World Cups are on at the same time, usually only an hour apart, and follow the same course for around 1:30 hours. Even the short course follows much the same format as the men with very similar and exciting racing being played out.
The coverage of the race and interviews are the same for both genders and on Redbull TV. That ease of access helps the casual viewer, who is not up on all things XC, to get into the race and be more invested in what is happening. Access aside though, the biggest drawcard at the moment in Elite women’s XCO is the action and anticipation. So many riders are so close together that it makes for some of the most exciting entertainment I’ve seen. Watching Jolanda Neff’s crazy fast starts and also her immense skill like at Albstadt and La Bresse was awesome. Then watching Annika Langvad’s power and strength all through the season and Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja’s continued love for the sport has been great.
Watching Kate Courtney’s fairy tale first year in elites to rise through the ranks to take the World Champs was the icing on the cake for such an entertaining sport. The infamous La Bresse women’s race was probably the highlight of the year out of both the men and the women, with multiple flat tyres, lead changes and different rider’s strengths all coming together to create a real tug-of-war battle that lasted until the final lap.
It’s hard to speak about equality from a male perspective but what I can speak about is what I like to watch and that’s exciting racing. With current women’s XCO that’s what viewers are getting and all within a format that’s easily accessible. Hopefully one day other women’s sports can have similar access and fans of exciting sport aren’t left watching random events with no context, no heroes or stories that can all come with knowing the narrative behind the best unscripted drama on TV.
“THE BIGGEST DRAWCARD AT THE MOMENT IN ELITE WOMEN’S XCO IS THE ACTION AND ANTICIPATION.”