Croneman: Everything Waldner says has bearing
Madness Claes Eriksson is said to have said: « I do not say it was much better in the past, just that it is much worse now ».
It is both very fun – and a little thoughtful.
Looking at the table tennis World Cup and ponders in the same paths: in the past we always played first to 21 and in the best out of five sets. Three sets could also go.
Now, as is well known, it is first to 11 that applies, and the best of seven sets.
Did it get more fun, better? Did you get more viewers and spectators? Did the sport become more TV-friendly and better TV-adapted?
I guess it was the whole thing, but have never seen any evaluation – and I still still have a very hard time getting used to it. And I admit: When it comes to ping pong, I’m both quite nostalgic and conservative.
I grew up on it The time when there were ping pong tables exactly everywhere, and the Swedish world stars were called Kjell Johansson and Hasse Alsér. I also had the benefit and happiness of experiencing the probably largest Swedish sports tag ever, all categories: Sweden’s 5-0 in the team World Cup, against China, in Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, on April 4, 1989. The match began 18.05, Mikael Appelgren and Sweden hit the match ball 21.11.
It is not possible to compare with any other major Swedish sports event. Don’t even try!
This year’s table tennis World Cup goes in Qatar (very few have mentioned words about human rights and oppression-compare with the football World Cup three years ago) and if you want to listen to one of the very best experts of TV sports, all categories, just stepping in SVT Play and enjoying Jan-Ove Waldner’s insights and opinions. He was of course with in 1989. Our biggest ball genius ever.
He may not be the one Where the « entertainer » like so many channels seems to look for, when all sports should be just entertainment, but everything he says has bearing, he makes me better understand the game, the tactics, the match. And the feeling.
I have, for all years, unfortunately, had the corresponding difficult for SVT’s own permanent ping -commentators, first I suffered all the years with Staffan Lindeborg, now it seems to be the omnipotent Chris Härenstam that applies in the ping pong. But as I said, I stand out with everything and everyone about Jo Waldner is a visitor – at Radio Sports they have another superb former table tennis player as an expert in the form of Ulf « Tickan » Carlsson.
Is probably equally conservative and nostalgic in this case, but if you have grown up with incredible pingy commentators such as SVT-Sportens Bengt Grive and Radio Sports Mats Strandberg, you have obviously received (for) high demands.
And Speaking of Legends: Do you remember Radio Sports Pingisoracle Uno Hedin? I might hold him as the expert’s expert. What he did not know about table tennis was obviously not worth knowing. And what a voice, his Örebro dialect!
Hockey World Cup enters the final stageWe who live in the Stockholm area have of course encountered daily hordes of beer (and packed) hockey fans from all over the world – this with beer and hockey, and sports and beer, at all, is it completely dead to talk about and discuss? Is that just how it should be? As soon as the TV camera finds out on the Globe’s stands, reddish hockey fans stand with beers in his hand.
You have to watch hockey and football, drink beer and get just (?) Full. Sport and alcohol, it is so normalized that no one even reacts anymore. Passed this weekend Medborgarplatsen at Södermalm an hour before the Stockholm exchange AIK-Hammarby-it was a sea battle.
Of course, you also sell a full beer in the arenas. The clubs raise lots of coals – but how does it rhyme with sports, health, young people? And noise and brawl? Of course, young people do not do as adults say – -you do as adults do. Early on, you should learn that sports, football, hockey and beer culture are connected. It’s one and the same.
And no one seems to care anymore. How did it happen?
Read more:
Johan Croneman: SVT’s perverse investment in Eurovision makes me feel bad
