Laura Williamson
π€ SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
So I do feel we have a duty really to explore all avenues of that.
Football, soccer is not just now about what happens in 90 minutes on the pitch.
Some of our most popular pieces might be about player salaries, for example, or trades or transfers and who's going where and the intrigue around that.
I sort of think back to the last World Cup as well.
One of our most successful pieces was about Lionel Messi, the Argentina and into Miami strikers relationship with Saudi Arabia.
And of course, it helped that Saudi Arabia had a shock win against Argentina.
So people were interested around that.
But
The piece wasn't about the sport at all.
It was about his sponsorship deals and how he danced this dance with a Middle Eastern state, ostensibly.
And it was hugely popular because people want to know about the whole player, you know, in the round, not just what they can do with a football at their feet.
So I often think back to that and that's been a real sort of tenement of our planning for this tournament in that we do want to deliver comprehensive coverage.
And that doesn't just mean every game live and the focus on the bigger players.
It means rigorous reporting around the biggest stories and those sort of things.
Those topics that take us away from the pitch are just as important, really.
But then the other thing is that sport is supposed to be fun.
I'm often telling reporters that, that it can be a release as well.
So I think we have to remember that, going back to my answer right at the beginning about the joy that a World Cup tournament can bring.
And we have to remember that.
And we have to remember that because of the reasons we've discussed today, so many people won't be able to go.