Sport on TV: Sporting chance for the armchair fan... if you stump up

IT may have been a long time coming (and it probably won’t last very long) but it seems like summer is finally here.

Whenever the weather’s like this it always takes me back to childhood summer holidays in the 1970s and 80s and long, balmy days spent enjoying trips to the beach, building dens, or cycling around our estate. But as well enjoying the great outdoors, when the weather was kind, the summer holidays was a chance to watch some great sport on TV.

Me and my brother would happily spend hours glued to the television set as England’s cricket team did battle against the likes of India, New Zealand and the fearsome West Indies – all accompanied by the dulcet tones of Richie Benaud’s brilliant commentary.

We would sit enthralled by the batting heroics of Ian Botham and Viv Richards and watched in awe whenever the likes of Richard Hadlee and Malcolm Marshall steamed in to bowl. When Wimbledon or the Open golf Championships were one there was often the dilemma of what to watch.

But the days when the BBC hogged the crown jewels of sporting events has long gone. The indomitable rise of Sky has had a profound impact on sport in this country, much of it positive.

Football’s Premier League, in particular, has benefited enormously from TV money with Sky and BT Sport paying an eye-watering £5.136bn for live TV rights for three seasons. This has, perhaps not surprisingly, seen many of the world’s best players jump on board the gravy train – although the question of whether it’s having a detrimental impact on England’s national team remains a moot point.

But there is a wider issue about sport on TV. Sunday’s finale of the Open golf championship at Royal Troon was one of the most gripping in the tournament’s 145-year history, as Henrik Stenson produced an astonishing final round of 63 to beat Phil Mickelson. It was sporting brilliance of the highest order yet it was witnessed by a fraction of the TV audience it deserved.

Last year, the BBC gave up its rights to the famous tournament with Sky Sports taking over and figures from the first day of this year’s tournament showed a drop of 80 percent in viewing numbers compared to those seen when it was shown on the Beeb. Yes, there were still highlights, but part of the thrill of watching sport on TV is seeing the drama unfold in front of you.

The absence of live cricket on what was terrestrial television has been a source of frustration to many fans. It was ironic that England’s home Tests switched from Channel 4 to Sky following one of the greatest series in living memory.

The 2005 Ashes, which saw Michael Vaughan’s England side wrestle back the urn for the first time in nearly two decades, was hailed at the time as a watershed moment for the sport in this country.

It should have been the catalyst for a revival, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way, with figures released at the end of 2014 showing that the numbers playing at recreational level had fallen.

Next month sees the start of the Rio Olympics and as well as the chance to see some of our great medal hopefuls, including Jessica Ennis-Hill, Nicola Adams and Alistair Brownlee, it will no doubt rekindle memories of that halcyon summer four years ago when it felt as though the whole nation was watching the greatest show on earth from their living rooms at home.

The London Olympics didn’t just inspire youngsters to want to become the next Mo Farah or Bradley Wiggins, they motivated many of those who don’t normally consider themselves sporty to take up a new activity, or start doing more exercise. London 2012 symbolised the best of who are and it was the television coverage that helped make it such a wonderful national celebration.