Thanks to support from This Sporting Planet
This Sporting Planet is a unique podcast that aims to connect sports fans around the world through the global sporting calendar. Whether it's Wimbledon, the Superbowl or the Ashes down under, This Sporting Planet has a local expert with all the insider knowledge.
With such a broad range of skills and experiences, we wanted to find out how the show's top level international broadcasters think about sport in a global context.
You’re all vastly experienced broadcasters in your own nations, each with their own unique sporting cultures and interests. What’s it like covering fresh sports and stories?
- Natalie Sawyer: I always use the motto, ‘every day is a school day and you’re never too old to learn something new.’ So, learning about the workings of the NFL draft from an ex-player like Jason Bell and Todd, or having Kate from Sydney tell us what’s really going on with Australia rugby ahead of the Lions tour helps to keep things fresh and personal too.
- Todd Harris: It is at the heart of why I love this job so much. Each event brings a whole new set of questions and angles to the story. However the athletes remain the focal point so that’s always the best place to start when covering an event. I enjoy and appreciate the perspective and insight that all [hosts] bring from their respective parts of the world.
- Kate Allman: It’s the best! Almost every sports broadcaster got into this gig because we love sport - so we are all just living the dream. Covering fresh sports and stories always renews that energy. The more I learn about other countries, teams and their passions, the more I want to learn. And before I know it, I’m hooked on some new player or storyline in a sport or nation I rarely covered before. What a privilege.
What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned from one of your fellow hosts?
- Edward Russell: I feel like I learn something new from all the hosts every time we record an episode, but I think the overarching takeaway is just how sport can be such a unifying force. Until recently I’d never even met Natalie and Tod in person, and we live in three different continents, but every week we can spend hours discussing, joking about, and yes sometimes even arguing about our favourite sports.
- Colette Wong: Working with Kate and Natalie on a special women-focused sports episode has left a huge impression on me. Watching how seamlessly they worked together, how confident and passionate they were about their craft – it felt like a masterclass. Coming from Singapore, where we tend to be more reserved and less expressive, it was refreshing and inspiring to see that kind of energy and connection on screen. I have huge respect for how they owned the space and brought their stories to life.
Have you found anything that sports fans around the world all have in common?
- NS: Passion. Whether you’re a football, baseball or cricket fan or whichever sport it is, we all have a passion for the sport and teams we love.
- ER: An opinion - and definitely not always the same one!
- KA: We’re resilient - we’ve all experienced the highs as well as the lows. Every fan has had to suffer losses and these can be traumatising. Us Sydney Swans fans suffered a 72-year premiership drought before the 2005 flag! But that’s sport, and it makes the highs even better.
Are you surprised by the level of global interest in local teams?
- TH: The world keeps getting smaller. Being able to watch a team on the other side of the planet is no longer a problem. The information superhighway just keeps getting faster and more immediate. And in the end if we can all be fans of a team regardless of our location – that’s a good thing.
- CW: Not really, because I’ve seen it happen from the time I was little. I was very very young when I knew teams like Liverpool, Manchester United, or Bayern Munich. They were well known beyond their borders. They’re probably not your “local teams” in the traditional sense, but they still belong to a city, and that sense of place gives them roots, even if they’re supported globally. That said, my son, who’s mad about sport, always zooms in on local clubs in the countries he visits. He gets curious and excited about them and will do his research. It’s amazing how much of [this information] you can now access instantly through social media. It really is much easier to discover and connect with a local team, no matter where you are.
Sometimes it can feel hard to keep up with one sport in one country. How do you manage to keep up with the whole global sporting calendar?
- TH: The information is out there -- you just need to find a voice that you trust and what format is your best way to take it all in. Might I suggest a popular podcast called “This Sporting Planet”?
What aspect of your own region’s sporting culture are you most proud of?
- NS: Football fans. Football is our number 1 sport, and I love the fact that we have a brilliant football pyramid starting at the Premier League to level 20 for grassroots, county teams. And with every club you will find incredible support. Hundreds and thousands of fans turn up regularly to support their club
- ER: I love the fact that Asia has some of the biggest sports fans in the world, despite the fact that our timezone absolutely sucks most of the time, especially when it comes to European sport. You can tell how important Asia is to Premier League teams, for example, [simply] judging by the amount of different teams who pass through [the region]for pre-season tours. When they do arrive on our shores, they are greeted by some of the most knowledgeable and passionate fans they will ever meet. [The same fans are the ones] who watch these teams in action every week by staying up until 1 or 2 AM.I never want to hear European fans complain again about how hard it is to watch football in their part of the world!
- KA: We have a relatively small population (26 million in Australia, 5 million in New Zealand) but punch well above our weight when it comes to competitive sport. It’s truly a way of life for us Aussies to be active, to get to the beach, go for a run or a swim or a surf in the mornings, and be part of local sports clubs (even as adults). Watching our swimming team succeed in the Olympics is a big source of pride and reflects the grassroots swimming culture we grow up in. I’m also proud of the way we are embracing and uplifting women’s sports. It has always been part of our culture that girls play sports, and we do so in very high numbers, but until recently the professional pathways were not really there. Our efforts to grow all codes of women’s football (soccer, AFLW, NRLW) have been particularly admirable.
You’re trying to convince a sports fan from the other side of the world that your favourite sport is the best. They’ve never seen a match before. What event do you take them to and why?
- TH: The Rose Bowl in Pasadena California on New Year’s Day for an American College football national championship game! The setting, the vistas, the tradition and pageantry. It is the pinnacle of College football.
- CW: I’ve been so impressed by how table tennis has levelled up, especially with what the WTT has done. It used to feel like one of those sports that only serious fans followed. But it's now a full-on show with lights and music. The whole vibe just pulls everyone in. And the talent on display is jaw-dropping. It’s so exciting and super entertaining to watch. You don't have to be a table tennis fan to appreciate it.
You can listen to This Sporting Planet wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes every week.
